


Words Have Consequences

by remanth



Series: Secrets and Words [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Demon Deals, Destiel - Freeform, Kissing, M/M, Revenge, Sabriel - Freeform, Sex, spells
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-13
Updated: 2013-02-07
Packaged: 2017-11-18 13:47:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 22,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/561722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remanth/pseuds/remanth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zachariah chafes under the punishment chosen by Castiel and plots his revenge against his former brothers and the Winchesters. Enter Crowley, who can help Zachariah achieve what he wants</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Seeing Red

Zachariah walked home in the indeterminate time between day and night. Birds rustled and chirped quietly around him as they settled down to sleep. He watched the play of light in the sunset, reds and oranges and pinks and golds. If he had been only human, he might have felt calm and comforted by the beautiful display. As it was, he felt a simmering anger at the beauty around him.

Seeing red, Zachariah had to pause to catch his breath and ease his pounding heart. The human sensations were something he'd become accustomed to, but he still hated it. Hated how he could feel death creeping up on him every second. Hated how he couldn't spread his wings and fly wherever he wanted. After several deep breaths, Zach straightened and resumed his walk while whistling The Saints Go Marching.

Completely against his first impulses, Zach had started to like working for Dr. Watson. The man was fair and stern, much like Zach himself, with his employees. He was endlessly patient and caring with his patients and the former angel found himself in the disorienting position of admiring the human. Needing something to distract himself from the boring walk, Zach thought over the first meeting after he was hired.

_"So, you're needing a job?" Dr. Watson had asked him. Zach nodded, looking curiously around the office they were in. A framed certificate and a painting of a waterfall were the only decorations on the cream walls. A large wooden bookshelf with medical texts took up one wall. A mahogany desk sat in the middle of the room, a small notebook computer resting on it. Two chairs sat in front of the desk and one behind. That was the extent of the furniture in the room and it shouted careful efficiency._

_"Well, I really only need help 2 days a week, about 8 hours a day," the doctor continued. "So if that works for you, I'll hire you on a temporary basis. 30 days and we'll see if we work well together."_

_"Sounds good, doctor," Zach said cordially. He rose to shake the doctor's hand and smiled at him._

_"You can call me John," he said smiling back. "Since we're going to be working together. Hope I can call you Zach."_

_"Of course," Zachariah replied and they parted after working out Zach's schedule for the next month._

It had been two months since that meeting and Zach still worked for Dr. Watson. He'd spent most of his energy on doing an excellent job so that he would be hired on a permanent basis. He needed money, after all, to finance his revenge against the Winchesters and his brothers. The thought of Castiel and Gabriel had him seeing red again.

This time, he walked through the fury, his heart pounding hard against his ribs. Zach growled quietly, replaying the damned chess match over and over in his head. He'd seen it often enough that he dreamed the moves every night. And dreaming was something new that he wasn't sure he enjoyed. After a week of obsessively reviewing each move and nuance, he'd finally figured out how Dean had beaten him.

The damn hunter had sacrificed many of his lesser pieces and a few of his important ones to get one piece in place to take Zach's king. It was actually very much like how the human went about hunting. The former angel wondered which was the reflection and which was the source of the hunter's attitude then decided it didn't really matter. He was going to die either way.

The red had faded from his vision again, though the color had given Zach an idea that he never would have considered as an angel. Turning it over and over in his mind, Zach decided he had little to lose and much to gain by enacting the simple plan. When he got back to the cottage he still shared with Melissa, he waved perfunctorily to her then gathered the few things he needed.

Walking out again, he traveled back towards the town carrying a small box. The box contained a picture of himself taken after he first arrived at Melissa's home and a few coins. He picked a few herbs and flowers along the way, adding them to the box. When he found a crossroads, he knelt gracefully, dug out a small hole, and buried the box.

Standing, he waited until he sensed he was no longer alone. Turning, for of course, the being would appear behind him, Zach nodded cordially at the demon.

"Well, well, well," a sardonic British voice drawled. "A former angel asking for help from the King of the Crossroads. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Crowley," Zach said, his lip curling in disdain for the creature before him. "I have a... business proposition for you. Would you like to hear me out?"

"Oh, I dearly would," the demon agreed. "Why don't we go somewhere more comfortable." The demon waved a hand and they appeared in an expensively furnished living room. Crowley walked to the liquor cabinet and poured out a generous amount of Craig into a cut-crystal glass. He waved the bottle at Zach, who declined with a shake of his had.

The demon made himself comfortable on the leather armchair across from Zach and crossed his legs. He sipped his drink and then fixed the former angel with a pointed look.

"So," Crowley said. "Talk. What do you want and what's in it for me?"


	2. Through the Fire

"Revenge," Zach replied simply. "And revenge. I want your help in hurting the Winchester boys and my former brothers."

"Why?" Crowley asked bluntly. "If you didn't notice, they stopped the Apocalypse, shoved Lucifer back in his cage, and opened the way for me to become King of Hell. Why should I help you?"

Zach froze for a moment, his mind ticking through the implications of Crowley's words. He was annoyed that the plan he had worked so carefully towards had been completely derailed. But now he had a new plan. One close to his now-human heart.

"Because I have something you want," Zach finally said, smiling at Crowley's questioning face. "Information. I was an angel of the lord. What kind of information do you think I still hold in my mind?"

Crowley looked interested at that, one finger tapping at the arm of his leather armchair. The demon stared at Zach, obviously thinking furiously. When the tapping stilled and a feral grin crossed his face, Zach knew he had won the demon over. At least temporarily.

"So, explain some of this information," Crowley said, excitement tinging his voice. "I'm not going into this blind."

"I know where many of the weapons of Heaven are kept," Zach said, keeping his smirk to himself. "And I know the prophets, angel weaknesses, spells for summoning, containment, torture. There are many things I know."

"The weapons are useless to me if they are kept in heaven," Crowley retorted.

"They aren't all kept in Heaven," Zach smirked. "I also know the protections around them and how to break them."

"That sounds much more promising," Crowley nodded, a pleased smile crossing his face. "Now let's talk about my price for helping you with your revenge plan."

"Your price?" Zach repeated incredulously. "The information is your price, you abomination."

"Ah, ah, ah," Crowley tutted, waving a finger admonishingly at Zach. "I'm a demon, love. Your knowledge is just icing on the cake. I want something... more."

Zach glared at Crowley with a very good idea of what the demon was hinting at. He knew this was a risk when he summoned the creature but didn't want to risk his soul.

"My soul, such as it is, is not part of this bargain," he said smoothly. "Besides, I don't have much of one. I was an angel and you know they don't have souls."

"But you have the remnants of something similar," Crowley said smugly. "Grace is just as good as soul, to a demon like me."

"But you don't really need my Grace," Zach said confidently. "Not when you have other things to worry about." He sat back in his chair, smiling smugly at Crowley. The demon narrowed his eyes at Zach, wondering what the human was playing at.

"Other things to worry about?" Crowley repeated. "What other things?"

"Oh, you know, the insurrection and inevitable coup that you are going to face," Zach said breezily. "There are some demons who are not happy with the king."

"Who?" Crowley growled, his nails digging into the leather of his armchair. He could feel a low rumbling start deep in his chest and burst out of his mouth.

"Well, see, that's what they call a bargaining chip," Zach smiled ferally. "Help me with my revenge and I will tell you who's planning to supplant you."

Crowley stood from the armchair to pace the room, one fist clenching tightly in anger. He knew of several demons who had still not bowed to his authority but none that he thought would ever try to kill him and take over. Coming to a decision, he turned back to Zach and grimaced.

"Fine," Crowley snarled. "You tell me who is doing the planning and what it is and I will help you in your little vendetta against the Winchesters and their angels. Also, you will tell me where the reachable weapons of Heaven are and how to get them."

"Sounds like a fair trade," Zach said, standing from the armchair. He held his hand out for Crowley to shake, hoping to forgo the usual form of sealing a deal. Crowley smirked at him and shook his head.

"You know that's not how it works," he reproved the former angel. "A kiss or no deal." Zach glared at the demon, his offered hand dropping to his side. Kissing wasn't actually the problem here, for him. It was that he would be kissing a demon that was seriously pissing Zach off.

"Try not to enjoy it too much," Zach snarled before crossing the last remaining space and pressing his lips hard against Crowley's. He meant to keep the kiss simple but as he pulled back, Crowley's hand snaked around the back of his neck and held him in place. His human strength wasn't enough to break the demon's grip.

After recovering from the suddenness, Crowley decided to have a little fun with the kiss. He was the King of Hell after all. He held tightly to Zach and opened his mouth to shove his tongue hard against the former angel's lips. He worked Zach's mouth open and plunged inside. He fought the tongue trying to push him out until finally acceding. He gave a final, hard nip to Zach's bottom lip and pulled away.

"Not many demons can say they've snogged an angel," Crowley smirked. "Or former angel, as the case may be." Zach just glared angrily, wishing he could still smite things that pissed him off. He wiped a hand over his mouth and decided to indulge in some of Crowley's favorite drink. Anything to wipe the taste of demon out of his mouth.

Crossing the room, Zach poured a few fingers of Craig into a glass and drank it down. He savored the burn, something he couldn't really have felt as an angel, then poured some more. Sitting down calmly in the armchair he had vacated, he waited until Crowley sat down as well.

"That was unpleasant," Zach remarked. "But the deal's sealed. Your would-be usurper is Meg."

"Meg?" Crowley hissed. "She has been a thorn in my side for far too long."

"Yes, I know," Zach nodded, smirking. "Now how are we going to enact my revenge?"

"By dragging them through the fires of Hell," Crowley replied, a nasty look crossing his face. "First metaphorically and then literally."


	3. Triangle

It's been one month and two days since they defeated Lucifer and Michael and shoved them both back in the cage. One month and two days since Cas was killed, again, and brought back, again. One month and two days since Sam said yes to the devil and then jumped into the cage, pulling Adam/Michael in with him.

It's been the worst month and two days of Dean's life.

It hasn't been much easier on the rest of the people inhabiting Bobby's house. The elder hunter himself has been walking the floors and the stairs, mumbling under his breath before darting into the library to furiously scan through a book or two. Then Bobby would be off again, pacing and muttering. He snapped at anyone who tried to speak to him or get him to eat or drink. Surviving on whiskey and toast, Bobby ran himself ragged trying to find a way to pull at least Sam back out.

Gabriel spent most of his time alone. When anyone tried to approach him, talk to him, he merely stared at them with dead eyes until they went away. His days were spent in the room he had shared with Sam, curling up into a ball on their sheets and struggling not to cry. His nights were spent outside, alternately walking around the rusting hulks of cars and sitting on the hood of the Impala. He would stare upwards and call his Father every curse and swear and slur in every possible language he could think of silently. And if people who saw him looking skyward thought he was praying, well, the knowledge of the blasphemy rather than the prayer was his and his alone.

Castiel moved among all the other members of the house, trying to comfort and heal. He felt it was his duty to care for them as his heart broke at their pain. And his own. He considered Sam a brother, cared for Adam even though he hardly knew the boy who had been dragged into Heaven's plans. He made sure Bobby ate every once in a while, Dean didn't break himself or anything else when he went through one of his furiously silent rages, and Gabriel didn't retreat into himself too far. When Cas allowed himself to feel, to think for himself, he would feel tears rolling down his face as his throat and chest clenched tight in pain and sorrow. He never allowed the others to see, always falling apart locked tightly in a room by himself. Cas promised himself he would be their strength until Sam came back.

But it was always worst for Dean. Memories of a laughing Sam, a crying Sam, a Sam looking at him with adoration and love intruded upon his every waking moment. He would often go for drives in the Impala when the house grew too tight, too confining. And he would remember. Sam yelling at him for the music, Sam jumping awake with a spoon in his mouth and a grimace, Sam singing with him to one song they both actually liked. And Adam would creep in, memories of the brother they knew but had been killed before they could properly meet him. Dean felt a crushing guilt and sorrow for both of them, feeling he'd failed both of his brothers though Sam's plan had worked flawlessly. So he drove and fumed and raged, then cried on Cas's shoulder when it all became too much and his strength failed him.

After Sam had jumped and dragged Adam with him, Dean tried to make good on the promise he'd made. He tried to live the apple-pie life his brother wanted for him, tried to be content living in Bobby's house with Cas. But it only took a week before he started flipping through the books in Bobby's library and seriously considering calling up a crossroads demon. Cas stopped him before he actually summoned the thing, but helped look through the books.

"Why are you helping me?" Dean asked, about three days later. He had just put aside a heavy book and was rubbing his eyes tiredly. Bobby's clock blazed the number 4:12 am at him in red lights.

"Because you aren't going to stop if I don't," Cas said reasonably. "And Gabriel has been researching since the day after. I want to get Sam back as much as you do."

At that point, Gabriel wandered in and looked around with his dead eyes. The usual golden brown color was muted and his eyes looked almost black. He stared at Dean and Cas and silently grabbed a book before stretching out on the couch.

"I've already looked through the letters A to E alphabetically," the morose archangel said harshly. "Just so you know." He opened the book and started reading, completely forgetting their presence in the room. The sight chilled Dean because he had never seen the archangel act like this. Sometimes, well most of the time, he considered Gabriel an annoying dick but seeing him without candy or cracking a joke was like seeing a dead unicorn. If they existed, of course. Completely wrong and out of whack with the universe.

\-------------------------------------------------------

Cas was sitting by himself quietly in the library when the book he was reading fell out of his hands. He studied it carefully before picking it up; he never dropped books. It had been one month and four days and he could tell the others had given up. Dean still made a show of looking through the books, but Cas could tell his heart wasn't in it. He looked down at the page and saw that the book had opened to a different page.

_Triangle_

_This spell is very dangerous. It must never be attempted unless there is complete trust among all parties participating. If anything goes wrong, all souls will be trapped in the cage for all eternity._

_To reclaim a soul from the deepest pit of Hell, one needs four things: an angel who has already been to Hell and returned, a brother's loving memory, a father's loving memory, and a lover's loving memory. Once the memories are gathered, the angel must knit them together into a three-pointed star and use it to guide his way into the cage and back out again. This is the guiding star and the lifeline._

Cas read the spell over multiple times, his eyes widening in shock and sudden hope. Marking the page using a cloth bookmark, Cas closed his eyes and raised his face to the ceiling.

"Thank you, Father, for the chance to rescue Sam," Castiel breathed reverently. He laid the book gently on the couch and went to gather everyone together.

"So, you think God had a hand in this?" Dean asked sarcastically. "When he wouldn't lift a finger to stop the Apocalypse his children had started?"

"I do, Dean," Cas nodded. "The book flew out of my hands and when I picked it up, it was opened to the exact spell I needed. If that wasn't my Father's will, then what do you call it?"

"Coincidence?" Bobby suggested dryly though without any real enthusiasm behind it. They all knew that coincidence very rarely actually was. Gabriel's eyes carried a terrible glow of hope and sorrow.

"Can you do this, Castiel?" he asked quietly. "Can you perform this spell and get him back?"

"I believe I can," Cas replied confidently. "And I would try even if I were unsure, brother." He laid a gentle hand on Gabriel's shoulder and squeezed gently, trying to convey compassion and love through the touch. Gabriel smiled slightly at him, his lips barely curving up.

"Then I want to try it," Gabriel said. "Anything to get Sam back."

"That's my line," Dean said, without any real heat. He could feel his heart speeding up and hope bloom in his chest. "What do we need to do, Cas?"

"You each need to think of Sam, some memory of him that is love and pride and good," Cas explained. "I will draw the memory from each of you and create the guide I need. Then I will journey into Hell again."

Dean immediately thought of the summer in 1996 when he and Sam had snuck away from their father to set off fireworks. It was the first memory he'd fallen into in Heaven and he knew it was perfect for this. He let his mind run over the laughing grin on Sam's face and the colors bursting in the sky. He felt Cas skim a hand over his forehead and the memory was folded into the angel's mind.

Bobby thought of when he, Sam, and Cas had gone to destroy the supplies of swine flu vaccine that were laced with the Croatoan virus. Sam had rushed into danger, rescuing people and bringing them to safety without a thought for himself. He did this over and over again, never taking a thought for himself. Bobby could only remember standing and staring, pride and love flooding his chest. Cas brushed his hand over Bobby's forehead and absorbed the memory.

Gabriel couldn't decide what memory to use. Each one seemed tainted with the sorrow that Sam wouldn't return. He sighed and finally remembered when Sam had caught on to a trick of his. Whenever he zapped himself and the hunter up to their room, he always tumbled them onto the bed wrapped around each other. Sam had called him on it and Gabriel had jokingly told him how else would he get Sam wrapped around him? Sam had fondly called him an idiot and kissed him on the nose. They'd spent the rest of the afternoon loving each other. Cas smiled gently into Gabriel's eyes as he took that memory as well.

Cradling each memory gently, Cas used his grace to seal them into a triangle shape. Each memory glowed with a different color to his senses: Dean's was blue, Bobby's was red, while Gabriel's was golden. Cas's own grace glowed white, showing in the delicate traceries between each memory. Taking a deep breath, Cas held tightly to the triangle of memory and love and looked around at the others in the room.

"It's finished," he said, referring to the spell. "Don't stop thinking about Sam. Goodbye." He smiled at each of them in turn, love shining from his eyes as he looked at Dean. The hunter hugged him impulsively and placed a gentle kiss on Cas's forehead.

"Good luck, Cas," Dean said quietly. "Come back safe."

Cas nodded at him and took one final breath. Then he launched himself into the frigid depths of Hell again.


	4. All That I Have

Castiel could feel a frigid wind grind into his bones as he made his way through Hell. It was almost exactly the same as last time, when he had come to rescue Dean. The wind tore at his feathers, ripping a few away. Cas fought back against it, sending little threads of his grace through his wings to strengthen them. He would not fail this time either.

Diving deeper, Cas flew past thousands of racks with souls screaming for mercy, for oblivion, some even for more pain. Those souls always twisted at Cas's heart. He wondered what could have so corrupted them that they would beg for this pain. Would beg to have knives slid through their bodies and pieces of themselves ripped out.

Castiel flew faster, snapping through different areas of Hell. Cold, heat, pressure, darkness all pressed in on him, trying to stop him. He heard cries behind him and knew that some demons had spotted him. Cas sighed to himself but he knew he wouldn't have been able to stay unnoticed for long. Same as last time.

Flying past a large building with pleasured screams emanating from the windows, Cas felt the pull of the cage. It felt completely different from the warmth of Dean's soul and Cas had to swallow heavily at the feel. Cold and heat and anger beat at his grace, despair and sorrow threatening to drag him down. Shrugging off the emotions as best he could, Cas flew forward and landed outside the cage.

The bars were black and silver, sigils twining along the bars. Cas studied them for a moment, recognizing many of the symbols. Others escaped his knowledge, though he knew they were designed to hold his older brother in. From inside, he could hear screaming and moaning. Cas winced, knowing that it was Sam and Adam being tortured in there.

Holding up the triangle of memory and grace, Castiel laid it on the bars. Immediately, the triangle expanded and Cas could see inside the cage. His heart broke as he saw Lucifer, his body looking like his previous vessel Nick, standing over Sam with a sharp scalpel in hand. The Winchester was strapped down to a metal table while Adam was held in Michael's firm grip. The other archangel still retained Adam's features, so it looked like the boy was being restrained by his twin.

"Sam," Cas called, reaching through the window and touching Sam's shoulder. The archangels didn't notice him, busy talking with each other about the best way to torture Sam. The hunter's eyes cracked open and he looked at Cas with hope and sadness in his eyes.

"You aren't real," Sam said dully. "They tried this trick with an image of Dean. Don't know why they picked you this time. I don't expect you to come down here for me like you did for Dean."

"I am here, Sam," Cas replied gently. "I found a spell that would allow me to rescue you. But I need you to believe. I need you to hold onto me." He removed his hand from Sam's shoulder and gripped the hunter's hand, surprise blooming on Sam's face.

"You are real," he breathed, struggling against the bonds. Cas stared at the ties, slowly loosening them using his grace. Lucifer and Michael continued to argue while Adam watched Sam, his face resigned. As soon as the last bond loosened, Sam shot up and darted towards the window. About halfway there, he paused and looked back at Adam.

"I can't leave him," he said, glancing over his shoulder at Cas.

"The spell is only designed for one," Cas said, his eyes skipping over Adam's face.

"I don't care," Sam snapped. "I'm the reason he's here, I'm not being the reason he couldn't get out." The hunter lunged back towards the archangels and his younger brother, surprise allowing him to wrench Adam out of Michael's grip. He pushed Adam towards the window and Cas, the boy stumbling in his haste. Sam rushed after, narrowly dodging Lucifer's grasp.

As Adam hurtled through the window, Cas grabbed his arm with one hand to keep him from being lost in the vast depths of Hell. Sam came after and Cas ripped the triangle from the bars, sealing his brothers in. Closing his eyes for a moment in sorrow, Cas turned to Sam and hugged him.

"Thanks, Cas," Sam said, hugging back hard. He turned to Adam and drew the younger boy into the hug. They stood for a few moments, sharing a pain-free time of happiness.

"We need to get out of here," Cas finally said, eyeing the triangle. The shape of light was starting to darken, the white connecting bands of Cas's grace fracturing.

"Thanks for pulling me out," Adam said, smiling in relief. "But how are we going to get out of here?"

"According to the spell I read," Cas explained. "This triangle could be used as a lifeline back to Earth. Though it was only designed for Sam."

"I'm not leaving Adam here in Hell, either," Sam said, one epic bitchface crossing his features. Cas shook his head and examined the spell in his hands.

"I may be able to alter this, just enough so Adam can use it as well," Cas said, raising the spell and poking gently at it. The lights brightened for a moment before darkening again.

"How did you make it?" Sam asked, curiousity surging.

"The three lights at the corners are memories of you, Sam," Cas explained. "And the white binding them together is my grace. If you are able to add some memory of Adam, I may be able to carry him too."

Sam closed his eyes and thought carefully, trying to find a memory that was Adam and not the ghoul that had taken his form. He remembered when Adam had been trying to sneak out and tried to cover it by saying he wanted a beer. Smiling at the memory, Sam played it out in his head, revelling in the fact that he had a younger brother to share a beer with. He jumped when he felt a hand ghost over his forehead and felt the memory drain out of his mind.

"That should work," Cas nodded, taking the yellow-colored memory and fusing it into the triangle. The shape immediately altered into a square and Cas fed more of his grace into it to bind everything together tightly. He held it out and Sam and Adam both grabbed one side.

"Hold on tightly," Cas warned before beating his wings strongly and surging straight upwards. Now that he was going back to Earth, he didn't have to fly through the rest of Hell. They flew through darkness, light, water, lava, and the void of space before Cas felt the solidness of Earth ahead of them. He changed course slightly to head to Bobby's house and popped into the library with Sam and Adam.

"They're back!" Dean yelled, moving to envelope Cas and Sam in a tight hug. Gabriel did the same, golden light glowing in his eyes. Bobby looked on, tears glimmering in his eyes. Adam backed away, feeling lost and a little alone. He still didn't feel a part of this family, much as they shared blood. He jumped when he felt a hand land on his shoulder and looked up into Bobby's eyes.

"Glad Cas got you out too," Bobby said before drawing Adam into a hug. "Welcome to the family, boy." Adam felt tears in his own eyes as more arms wrapped around him and Bobby and the words were repeated by four voices.

"Dean," Cas said tiredly, suddenly dizzy on his legs. "That trip took almost all that I have. I need to..." Dean moved to catch the angel as he passed out and lugged Cas over to the couch. He laid his angel gently down and curled up next to him, one hand draped over his chest possessively.

"I think I need some time with you, Sammy," Gabriel said before taking Sam's arm and flashing them up to the bedroom. He smiled hugely, the expression feeling a bit odd on his face, when they tumbled onto the bed tangled up in each other.

"You have no idea how much I missed this," Sam murmured before burying his head in Gabriel's neck.

Downstairs, Adam and Bobby had adjourned to the kitchen and were drinking beers. Adam felt a sharp ache of loss that he wouldn't see his mother, but he was glad to be alive again. And noticed that the small scars he'd had before he died had disappeared. Bobby chuckled at him, noticing Adam's confused look.

"That happens when you're raised by an angel, kid," Bobby said. "They rebuild your body from the ground up. No more scars." They both stared when Adam turned his hands over and noticed a dark scar crossing his palms. It looked like he had gripped a burning bar for a bit too long.

"Must be from where I was holding onto that square colored thing," Adam said. "Wonder if it did the same thing to Sam?"

"Square?" Bobby repeated. "It was a triangle when Cas left."

"Yeah, he added a memory from Sam about me," Adam explained. "Sam wouldn't leave me behind." He spoke with a bit of awe, glad that the brother he barely knew was willing to do just about anything to save him. They sat drinking companionably as the sun finally sank down below the horizon.


	5. No Regret

Adam finished his beer slowly, the cool liquid feeling wonderful sliding down his throat. He also enjoyed the silence Bobby was content to sit in. Michael and Lucifer had never shut up while he and Sam had been trapped in the cage. He'd also never had a moment alone since each had been forced to watch the other being tortured.

Shrugging the memories away, Adam concentrated on the silence and the feel of the cold bottle in his hand. The condensation slicked his fingers and he brushed his fingers over the bottle. It was nice feeling something that wasn't being used to hurt him.

"Deep thoughts?" Bobby asked quietly, watching Adam over the rim of his own beer bottle.

"Yeah," Adam replied, shrugging again. "Just enjoying regular life, you know? The cage was... rough."

"Sounds like the understatement of the year, boy," Bobby said dryly before taking another sip of his beer. He didn't say anything else and Adam was grateful again for the silence. He didn't want to discuss the cage, not yet.

Even after he had finished his beer, Adam still sat in the kitchen. The sound of crickets gradually filled the silence and he smiled at the familiar sound. The gesture felt odd on his face, so used to screaming and whimpering. Bobby left around midnight, checking on Dean and Cas in the library before heading upstairs to his own bed. Thanks to previous annoying experience, Bobby didn't check on Sam and Gabriel. He knew they were likely still busy.

After he was alone and even the crickets had finally stopped chirping, Adam stood quietly and made his way to the window. He looked outside, counting the stars as they shone in the sky. A sudden urge to go outside and breathe clear air overtook Adam and he headed outside, closing the door quietly behind him.

Adam spent the rest of the night alternately sitting on Bobby's porch and wandering through Bobby's yard. Every once in a while, he'd brush his hand over a car or the fence or even the dirt, revelling in the sensations. At dawn, he sat and watched the sun come up. The colors actually brought a tear to his eye and Adam sent up a heartfelt prayer of thanks that he had been rescued from the cage and allowed to live again.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

As golden light rippled across his face, Dean shifted and opened his eyes. He had a slight crick in his neck from sleeping on the couch but it was worth it as he looked at his angel. Cas was sleeping soundly, his mouth slightly open as he breathed. The angel looked better than he had after yesterday, the color returning to his skin. Dean traced a line over Cas's cheekbone and pressed a kiss to his lips before dropping his head back down onto the couch. He draped an arm over Cas again and went back to sleep. Everything was right in his world again and facing it could wait a few more hours.

Upstairs, Gabriel hadn't slept. After Sam had fallen into an exhausted sleep in Gabriel's arms, the archangel had just watched him. Every so often, Gabriel would place his hand on Sam's cheek and press gently with his fingers, making sure the hunter was real and alive. After each reassurance, Gabriel would settle back and just hold Sam, a grin stealing over his face.

Wanting to feel closer, Gabriel had curled his wings over Sam tightly, shielding the hunter from view. He smiled fondly when Sam gripped at the feathers tickling his arms and didn't let go. Finally believing that Sam had come back to him, Gabriel started humming an ancient song, one of thanksgiving and joy.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Around 10 that morning, Adam stumbled tiredly back into the kitchen and rooted around in the fridge. He grabbed some bread and made himself a sandwich, sitting at the table to eat slowly. Bobby wandered downstairs, took one look at the sunken, dark eyes in Adam's face and wordlessly started a pot of coffee. After it had brewed, Bobby grabbed two cups, poured, and handed one to Adam.

Adam drank it, sighing happily at the taste. He looked up, startled, as footsteps sounded behind him. He relaxed incrementally when he saw it was Dean and smiled at Cas behind the elder Winchester.

"Hey, coffee," Dean said as he pulled more cups down. He fixed coffee the way Cas liked it and handed one cup to the angel while making another cup for himself. The two settled at the table with Adam and Bobby, Dean studying his youngest brother.

"You sleep at all?" Dean asked, eyeing Adam.

"No," Adam admitted. "I was a bit afraid that if I went to sleep, I'd wake up back in the cage. That this was all a dream." Dean reached over and pinched Adam lightly, smiling when the boy recoiled and snarled.

"See? Not a dream," Dean said. He reached out for Cas's hand and gripped it tightly. He didn't want his angel going anywhere just yet.

"We interrupting something?" Gabriel asked sardonically as he and Sam walked into the living room. Dean stood and folded Sam into another hug, happiness pouring off of him. Sam returned the hug and patted Dean on the back.

"It's good to be back," Sam said quietly, meeting everyone's eyes. Adam nodded firmly, his mouth set in a terse line as memories flashed through his mind. Sam and Gabriel got their own cups of coffee, the archangel adding an insane amount of sugar to his. Pulling up two more chairs, they sat down at the table and joined in the silence that now reigned.

Sam looked over Cas, noticing that he could see the angel's wings now. He hadn't paid much attention to whether he could see Gabriel's the night before so he took the opportunity to look now. The archangel's golden brown wings were folded against his back but one was draped over Sam's shoulders. The hunter looked back at Cas and noticed that the ebony feathers were mussed and broken. There were numerous cuts in the angel's wings and Sam winced to see them.

"Castiel, thank you," Sam finally said softly, staring into Cas's eyes. "You didn't have to save us and you risked yourself to do so. Are you sure you're all right?" Sam nodded at the angel's wings and Cas started a bit as he realized Sam could see them. Tucking his wings further into his back, Cas nodded at the hunter.

"You're welcome. And I will be fine," Cas replied, tilting his head to study Sam. "And I have no regrets about coming to rescue you and Adam."

Sam sighed as the tension he hadn't realized had built up was released as Cas answered his unspoken question. He was sick of beings damning themselves or dying to help him and it was a relief to know that Cas would heal.

"Not to break up this happy reunion too quickly," Gabriel said, after letting the silence stretch a bit more. "But what's the plan now?"

"How about stop the king of Hell and a former angel from killing you all and me?" an alto voice drawled. The hunters and angels jumped to their feet and turned to stare at the speaker. A woman with black hair and brown eyes sauntered into the room, smirking at the table.

"Meg," Dean snarled, moving into a fighting stance. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Exactly what I said, buttercup," Meg replied, rolling her eyes at Dean. "Zachariah made a deal with Crowley and they want all our heads on a plate. Care to stop them?"


	6. Rebel

"Zach made a deal?" Gabriel repeated, his voice full of shock. "I can believe a good many things about my former brother, but a deal? That I find hard to swallow."

"And how would you know?" Dean asked suspiciously, glaring at Meg. He was pissed that he had left the demon-killing knife in his duffel upstairs. He promised himself that, from now on, either he or Sam would be carrying the thing.

"You think Crowley is the only one who knows how to spy on people?" Meg asked, rolling her eyes at Dean. "I have my ways. Especially when my life is on the line."

"Magic coin?" Sam hazarded. He was the only who had sat back down, knowing that if Meg had wanted them dead, she wouldn't have talked to them.

"Learned from Alastair himself," Meg nodded. "And Crowley now knows I want to kill him for being in on the plan that trapped Lucifer again. All thanks to the former angel-that-could that you let go."

"Somehow, I don't see this as being our problem," Dean snapped, crossing his arms over his chest. He knew the layout of the library that Meg was standing in and knew that if he could get her to take about two steps back, she'd be trapped in the devil's trap Bobby had painted on the ceiling.

"I'm not the only rebel on Crowley's hit list," Meg said, glaring at Dean. "Thanks to Zachariah, he's coming after you guys now."

Grabbing one of the flasks of holy water that Bobby had stored around the house, Dean advanced on Meg, murder in his eyes. The demon backed up, her hands raised in a conciliatory gesture. Once Dean calculated she was in the devil's trap, he stopped and couldn't help the grin that crossed his face. Meg looked up and rolled her eyes.

"You really think I want to kill you?" Meg snarled. "All I want is to survive and you boys are my only chance."

"Maybe," Dean nodded. "But I still feel better knowing you can't go anywhere. And you could be lying."

"Why would I lie about my own life?" Meg argued, crossing her arms over her chest. "I wouldn't come here unless it was my last option."

"Now that I believe," Gabriel said, walking up to stand next to Dean. He narrowed his eyes at Meg, studying her. He could see past the impatient look on her meat-suit's face to the terrified demon underneath. And Meg was well and truly terrified which was what decided Gabriel.

"What exactly was the deal Zachariah and Crowley made?" the archangel asked, pacing the outer edge of the devil's trap. He watched the demon wrapped around the human fidget and grimace as she turned to keep him in sight.

"You aren't going to let me out of here until I tell you, are you?" Meg sighed. When Gabriel nodded at her, she continued, "Fine. Zachariah offered Crowley the locations and the way past the wards of all the weapons Heaven hid on Earth. He has also offered other information but left that bit hazy. The part that finally convinced Crowley to make the deal and not have his grace or soul or whatever he's got, is me. I want to supplant the Scottish bastard and somehow Zachariah knew."

As Meg talked, Cas walked up to stand next to Dean with a shocked look on his face. He knew that Zach held a grudge against them but he didn't expect his brother to go this far. Only Sam and Gabriel could see the way his wings drooped sadly as he absorbed this new betrayal.

"And now Zachariah and Crowley are working together?" Cas asked flatly. "What are their plans?"

"They didn't discuss specifics," Meg growled, turning to look at Cas. He could see her flinch as she turned her back on Gabriel. "Though I'm pretty sure that Crowley is going to want to go after the weapons as soon as possible."

Gabriel paced around the circle to stand next to Cas, placing a hand on the angel's shoulder. He spared a compassionate look for Cas then glared at Meg. A feral look crossed the archangel's face as a thought crossed his mind.

"And what if we used you as bait to draw Crowley out?" Gabriel suggested. "If he knows where you are, he'll come running, wouldn't he?"


	7. Glitchy

"You want to use me as bait?" Meg asked flatly. "Are you trying to kill me? I personally dislike this plan."

"No one asked you," Gabriel pointed out, walking back into the kitchen. "Stay there for a bit, we need to talk."

Castiel and Dean followed him back into the kitchen, Dean closing the sliding doors. They knew the doors wouldn't make the kitchen soundproof, so everyone kept their voices down when they finally did speak.

"That's a demon?" Adam asked. He had been silent through the whole exchange with Meg, not wanting to draw attention to himself. This whole world was still completely new to him. Adam still wasn't sure if he liked it or not but figured he was safer with his half-brothers and their angels than without them.

"The body is just a meatsuit," Dean explained. "The demon is inside her. They look like black smoke."

"Unless you're an angel and can see past the body," Gabriel drawled, smirking at Dean. "Then you can see the real face of the demon."

"I thought you guys killed demons or exorcised them or whatever," Adam continued. "Why are we letting that one live?"

"Much as we would like to kill her, Meg has helped us in the past," Sam said, grimacing. "And if what she says is true, we owe her for the warning. It's kind of a case of the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"And if she turns on us? What happens then?" Adam asked, worry spiking in his voice.

"Then we kill her. And she knows it," Dean shrugged. "Meg is, at heart, a survivor and she knows siding against us right now is not in her best interest."

"If what she says is true," Bobby interjected. "And that's a really big if. She could even be working with Crowley to draw you boys out. You know he wouldn't mind seeing us all killed."

"You're forgetting one thing," Cas reminded them all. "Gabriel and I can see her true face. And Meg is terrified. It's difficult to fake that level of fear and I believe she is telling the truth."

That silenced the room as everyone thought about the implications of that. Zachariah was fairly high up in the angel hierarchy and the knowledge he carried could spell disaster in the hands of Crowley. Deciding the rest of this conversation called for a drink, Bobby got up and pulled a bottle of whiskey out of the cabinet. He opened it and passed it around, each man taking a sip.

"So what do we do?" Sam asked after he had taken a drink.

"I still think we should use Meg as bait," Gabriel said, his wings flaring. Sam looked at them, an expression of awe on his face. He didn't know if it was a glitch or not, maybe something to do with being an angel's vessel, but he really enjoyed being able to see wings.

"But we're going to have to deal with Zachariah as well," Dean sighed, reaching across the table and taking Cas's hand. "I know he was your brother, Cas, but he's dangerous now. Even if we deal with Crowley, there's nothing saying that smarmy dick won't try again with another demon."

"I know, Dean, and I understand," Cas replied. He smiled sadly and continued, "I miss the brother Zachariah was. I showed him mercy once. We can't afford to show him mercy again. I will not put you in danger."

"Well, that's settled," Bobby said dryly, taking the bottle and downing a large gulp. "So how do we let Crowley know we have Meg?"

"Why do we need to tell Crowley?" Adam asked, confusion etching his face. "If he's the king of Hell, wouldn't all the demons report to him? We could just summon one and tell him we want to make a deal with Crowley or something."

"We'll make a hunter out of you yet," Dean said admiringly. "That is actually an awesome idea. We could pretend like we're trying to bargain immunity or something from demons in return for handing Meg over."

"We'd need time to set this up," Bobby mused, staring out the window as he thought. "I don't want to just summon a demon without a few safeguards in place."

The group made plans to summon a demon in a few days, making sure that they had enough time to turn Bobby's house into a fortress. Deciding Meg could stew in the devil's trap until then, they all headed upstairs to put together their weapons and get some rest.

Dean found Cas perched on the edge of their bed and sat down next to his angel. He could see the tension and sorrow in his eyes and the angle of his shoulders. Dean wrapped an arm over Cas's shoulders and kissed his cheek.

"Hey, it's ok," Dean murmured into Cas's ear. "If you want, we'll make every effort to keep Zachariah alive. I know you don't want to lose another brother."

"I already have. That's what hurts so much, I think," Cas replied softly, turning into Dean's embrace. "Zachariah has turned his back on his family, dealing with a demon for revenge. He is no longer my brother."

Tears glimmered in the angel's eyes and fell down his cheeks. He was completely unselfconscious about it, making no move to brush them away or stop them. Dean let the angel cry, rubbing a hand on his back. After several moments, Cas's tears slowed and stopped. He leaned up and captured Dean's lips gently, tracing the bottom one with his tongue.

"Thank you," Cas told him with a small smile. "I know you hate chick flick moments."

"No problem," Dean said airily, smiling back. "Chick flick moments with you tend to lead to mind-blowing sex so I'm not complaining."

Cas laughed and pressed back on Dean's shoulders until the hunter was lying back on the bed. He straddled Dean's hips and leaned down to kiss him again. Dean wrapped his arms around Cas's waist and held him close, kissing back hard.

"Then why don't we get started on that?" Cas suggested silkily, a single thought making their clothes disappear.

"I can get behind that," Dean replied and dragged Cas down for another kiss.

\------------------------------------------

Sam found himself strapped to a cold metal table, his eyes taped open. His gaze darted around the room and took in the figure standing in the shadows. The room was dark, the only light a bright one directly above Sam's head.

"Hello, Sam," Lucifer's voice came silkily from the shadows. "I've missed you. You went somewhere in your head. Welcome back."

Lucifer stepped out of the shadows wearing Nick's body as his vessel. Sam struggled uselessly against the straps on the table. He couldn't believe this; he'd gotten out. Cas had rescued him and Adam. A loud scream from his left caused Sam to turn his head as far that way as he could and he saw Michael standing over Adam with a hunting knife in hand. The archangel was digging the knife deep into Adam's stomach and dragging it up towards his neck.

"You see, Sam? You didn't get rescued, you're still here with me," Lucifer purred into his ear. The fallen angel was holding a surgical scalpel in his hand. He tilted it in the light above Sam's head, the metal flashing brightly.

"I can't be here," Sam argued, struggling hard against the straps. "I have to be dreaming. Castiel got us out."

"If you're dreaming, you won't feel this then," Lucifer said before laying the scalpel against Sam's neck and cutting. Pain bloomed in his skin as blood gushed out of the cut. Sam's screams filled the room, mingling with Adam's.

A ragged scream startled Gabriel out of the sleep he'd gotten used to having during his many centuries of living among the humans. Sam was struggling in his arms, batting at the air above his head. The hunter was making sobbing, mewling sounds as he struggled against his dreams.

"Sam, wake up!" Gabriel said, shaking Sam's shoulders. Sam's eyes shot open, wide and glazed, as he stared at Gabriel. His gaze flicked to the archangel's wings, fixing on the golden brown feathers. Slowly, sense returned to his eyes and Sam sighed a deep breath of relief.

"Just a nightmare," Sam reassured himself, wrapping his arms around Gabriel. "You are real, right Gabe? I'm not just dreaming this while stuck in the cage?"

"I'm real Sam. You're out and safe," Gabriel replied, wrapping his wings around the hunter. He brushed his lips against Sam's temple and waited until the hunter stopped shaking.

"Thanks," Sam told him shakily, his breath ghosting over Gabriel's skin. "You know, I never saw Lucifer's or Michael's wings in the cage. The sight of yours is what pulled me out of the nightmare. They're beautiful."

"It's a side effect of being an angel's vessel," Gabriel explained. "You can see all angel's wings now and I'm glad I was able to calm you down."

Sam reached out and gently ran his fingers down the longest feathers on Gabriel's wings. The archangel moaned softly as his wings trembled. Sam grew bolder, not being rebuffed, and buried his fingers in Gabriel's wings. His heart finally slowed and Sam fell into a quieter sleep, lulled by the sound of feathers. Gabriel watched over his hunter as he slept, knowing this was probably going to be one of the last calm nights they were going to have for a while.


	8. Abandoned

Zachariah paced an empty field, staring at his watch every few moments. It had taken him far longer than he liked to get to this small place in the very northern part of Scotland but this was the hiding place of the closest weapon. As he turned to start back down the field, Crowley appeared in front of him.

"About time," Zach muttered, glaring at the demon.

"What? Afraid I abandoned you?" Crowley drawled, an anticipatory grin crossing his face. "Please. I want those weapons and they are of no use to you now."

"I can't just flit here, there, and everywhere anymore," Zach complained, turning his back on the demon and studying the field. "It actually takes me time and money to go places. The least you could do is be on time."

Crowley just stared at the back of the former angel, waiting for him to locate the weapon. Zach paced to the middle of the field and stood over a single flower that was growing. The flower was a morning glory, the purple-blue petals dark in the sunlight.

"Here," Zach said, glancing back at Crowley. "And if you think I'm digging down to it, think again."

"You better be right about this," Crowley warned before snapping his fingers. A hellhound appeared and Zach was quick to move away. The hound dug quickly, his claws ripping out great chunks of earth and tossing them to the sides. Even though Zach knew exactly what it was, he still couldn't see the hound anymore and this frightened him more than anything else he'd experienced as a human.

After about 10 minutes, the hound had dug down about 15 feet. Zach raised a hand, not wanting the beast to set off the traps guarding the weapon. Crowley whistled and the hellhound growled and disappeared. The demon glared expectantly at Zach, who shrugged.

"I'm thinking," Zach replied to the unspoken question. "It's been a long time since the slingshot was hidden."

Taking a deep breath, Zachariah intoned several phrases in Enochian, enunciating carefully and slowly. Crowley listened closely but couldn't understand a single word the former angel said. Zach raised his hands, palms down, over the hole and shouted the last few syllables. Turning to Crowley, he grinned wolfishly.

"You need to bleed in the hole now," he told the demon.

"Why?" Crowley asked immediately, suspicion flaring in his mind.

"The last lock can only be undone with an angel's grace or a demon's blood," Zach explained, shrugging. "I am neither so it's up to you."

Crowley looked from the hole to Zachariah and back, trying to decide how much damage adding his blood might feasibly do. When the human just stood there, tapping a foot impatiently on the ground, the demon decided that he could chance it this time. David's slingshot had immense power and he wanted it.

As Crowley stepped forward, Zach stepped back and warned, "After you drip your blood down there, back up. It's going to be a hell of a bang." Crowley nodded and sliced his palm with a nail. He held his hand over the hole and let several drops of his blood fall straight down. The cut sealed as Crowley stepped back, eyeing the hole warily.

After a few minutes, a loud rumbling noise came from deep within the earth. A plume of dust, dirt, and rocks erupted from the hole and rained down over the area. Crowley backed up even further while Zach laughed at the dirt now covering the demon's once-impeccable suit. The slingshot rose up out of the ground and landed in the dirt next to the hole.

"Well go on," Zach said, gesturing imperiously at the slingshot. "Your blood called it forth so it's bound to you for now."

Crowley picked up the small wooden weapon, his fingers caressing the smooth sides. It was made of a light-colored wood, almost wide, with something similar to elastic stretched between the forks. It tingled in his palm as Crowley held the weapon up to the light.

"All right, part of my side done," Zach said once Crowley put the weapon safely away. "Now, what are you going to do to hold up your end?"

"I know where the Winchesters are," Crowley replied. "Surely you would like to have that information?"

"You know I would but I can probably already tell you," Zach replied shortly. "They are at Bobby Singer's right?"

"Of course," Crowley acknowledged. "But did you know that the angels stay with them? And that the boys are not planning on leaving anytime in the near future?"

Zachariah's eyes narrowed as he thought that through. One of the most annoying things about the Winchesters was the fact that they never stayed in one place. It made hunting for them during the Apocalypse a difficult chore. Especially after Castiel had burned the protection sigils into their ribs.

"I could use some help getting there," Zach finally admitted, the words bitter in his mouth. "I don't have the money for a passport or a ticket back to the United States."

"Leave it to me, partner," Crowley said cryptically before disappearing. Zach cursed and did the only thing he could do. He waited.


	9. Hopeless

Night had fallen before the king of Hell returned. Zachariah had settled down in the grass several feet from the still-gaping hole, not wanting to get any dirt or debris all over his clothes. He scowled at Crowley and stood as the demon walked towards him.

"Crowley," Zach growled, glaring at the demon. "Unless you want to go on a hopeless hunt for the rest of the weapons, I suggest you start being more respectful. What was the point of making me wait here?"

"Just to see if you'd do it," Crowley chuckled, turning away from the human. He flicked a blue packet over his shoulder. Zach caught it and saw that it was a passport. The name was Zachariah Brown, not the one he'd given Dr. Watson or Melissa.

"And it took you this long?" Zach snarled. "If I were an angel, I could have had this made in half the time you took."

"Zach, Zach, Zach," Crowley said, tsking. "Didn't I just tell you I made you wait to see if you would? Now you know who has the power in this relationship."

"We aren't in a relationship," Zach spat, glaring at the demon. "We have a business arrangement that is beneficial to both of us. And you're not holding up your end."

"Well, you see, if you had read the contract," Crowley began, waving a hand. "You would have seen that I only need to make a good faith effort to help you. And that was my good faith effort. Thank you for the slingshot and the information on Meg. Good luck with your revenge."

The demon disappeared then, a dry laugh hovering in the air after he had gone. Zach ground his teeth together in frustration, angered beyond measure that he had allowed the demon to take advantage of him.

"I wanted to do this the easy way," Zach muttered as he stalked out of the field. "I wanted to give you the illusion of a choice. But no. You had to go and screw me, didn't you. Should have known, you can never trust a demon."

He stuffed the passport into his pocket and headed to the train station, determined to get back home as soon as possible. He would need a lot of materials for the back-up plan he'd formed while waiting for Crowley.

The train ride back was slow and boring, allowing Zach to stew further and make plans. Now that he had the passport, all he needed was money and revenge would be his. No elaborate plans or ridiculous traps for him, oh no. He was going to walk up to the Winchesters and shoot them. Melissa kept a handgun in the cottage for safety and he'd been taking it and practicing with it. He could hit the middle of the target 9 times out of 10 now. As for his former brothers, killing their pet humans would be the start of the pain they would go through. While Zach was human now, he still retained all his memories, including the ones to trap, subdue, and torture angels.

Smiling now, Zach decided to have dinner before gathering all the materials. He'd really come to enjoy eating and drinking, one thing humans have gotten right. He stopped at a little Italian place, gathering some garlic and parsley from his meal and tucking them away for the spell. When he was finished, he headed back to the cottage he still shared with Melissa.

The next component of the spell he was planning to cast wasn't difficult to gather. What was difficult for him was his reaction to gathering it. Fresh human blood was required, the more the better. And what human was easier to get to than Melissa? Holding a knife and a mason jar, Zach stared down at the sleeping woman for several moments. Shrugging, he slit her throat and collected all the blood in the jar as it drained out of her. Revenge was far more important than a petty attachment to a mud monkey human, he reasoned.

After closing the jar, he tucked the gun into the waistband of his pants and collected all the extra ammunition that Melissa had stored in her dresser. Zach also took all of the cash Melissa had saved, reasoning that she wouldn't need it now. Once he was finished, he looked around the cottage one last time and sneered. Life here as a human was tiny. He was so much better than that.

Stepping outside, Zachariah headed to the crossroads he had first summoned Crowley at. He put all the ingredients for the summoning spell into the box he carried with him then set it on the ground. Getting the second spell ready to cast was easy but he wanted to have it ready when Crowley appeared.

Once everything was set to his satisfaction, Zachariah buried the box and waited. At the first syllable from Crowley, he lit a match and dropped it in the middle of the herbs and blood he'd put together for the second spell. Quickly chanting in Enochian, Zach turned to Crowley and grinned.

"I've bound you," Zach informed the demon. "I wanted you to choose to do this, but I can't have you backing out now. I own you demon. Who's the hopeless one now?"


	10. Revenge

Crowley sneered and turned to leave, not quite believing that the human had managed to bind him. Even if the human was a former angel with all of his knowledge intact. When he couldn't move, Crowley started to panic a little bit. Closing his eyes and concentrating hard, he willed all his powers to make him disappear from this place. Nothing happened. Crowley opened his eyes to glare at the human smirking at him smugly.

"Undo it," Crowley growled, stepping forward and gripping the neck of Zachariah's shirt. "Before I pull you down to Hell and show you your insides before I wrap you up in your own intestines."

"Killing me or taking me to Hell won't end the spell," Zachariah said calmly, his eyes unblinking even with the threat. "Only I can end it and I will when you have helped me with my revenge."

Crowley continued to glare but dropped his grip on the human's shirt. He paced, working furiously through all the spells and powerful objects he knew of, trying to find a counter to the spell. The spell felt like a collar around his throat, tight to the point of uncomfortable. Finally, he turned back to Zach and heaved a sigh.

"Fine. You win, you bastard. What do you want from me?" Crowley snapped, his anger clear.

"That's better," Zach drawled, his smirk growing even wider. "The first thing we are going to do is rewrite the terms of our agreement. And I want to see the contract this time."

Crowley reached into his suit jacket pocket and pulled out a rolled-up scroll. Flicking his hand, the paper unrolled towards Zach and landed at his feet. Crowley pulled out a quill pen, the feather a simple black raven's feather.

"Shall we begin?" Crowley asked sarcastically, pressing the tip of the quill to the paper as he prepared to read. Zach waved a hand imperiously at him and Crowley began the painstaking task of reading through the contract and correcting things. He hoped that Zach would miss something as he read, his simpler human mind unable to cope with the information and the twists and turns.

Zach listened carefully as Crowley read smoothly in his warm, British accent. He didn't want any loopholes in this contract. Now that he thought about it, it was stupid of him not to do this the first time around. A demon could sneak anything into a contract that the contractee would miss if they didn't read carefully. He heard something odd and interrupted the demon, correcting the sentence before nodding to move on.

Crowley grit his teeth in frustration. The human was catching everything and correcting him. It was honestly starting to drive him crazy. He read through the rest of the document, his voice rather hoarse by the end. The former angel had corrected everything and Crowley had to admit the man had an airtight contact. Zach signed the bottom of it, adding a flourish to the end of his name, before Crowley rolled up the contract. A knowing grin crossed the demon's face.

"You know, for such an important contract, there is one more step to make it binding," Crowley murmured, stepping into Zach's personal space. He raised a hand to run his fingertips over the human's cheek, his other arm snaking around Zach's waist to hold him in place.

"That's what the contract was for," Zach said stiffly, struggling to escape the demon's grip. "I'm not kissing you again."

"Oh, but I'm the king of Hell, darling," Crowley purred, moving so his words ghosted over Zach's lips. "It's going to take more than a signature to sign a deal with me."

Zach continued to try pulling away, not wanting to kiss the demon again. It was bad enough the first time. An image of Castiel smiling happily at him, blood dripping down his face as he explained how he was able to lie decided to former angel. There was nothing that was going to keep him from getting his revenge.

Frantically closing the remaining space between them, Zach crashed his lips into Crowley's. Remembering the demon's trick last time, Zach brought his hand up and pulled on the demon's chin. When his mouth opened, Zach plunged his tongue in hard and fisted his other hand in Crowley's hair to tip the demon's head back at a painful angle. The kiss lasted for several seconds, Zach learning the demon's mouth and mercilessly teasing him.

Crowley sat frozen for a moment in shock before kissing back just as hard, growling into the kiss. If the former angel wanted to have a taste of damnation, he sure as hell wasn't going to disappoint him. Crowley fought for control of the kiss, pressing his hands to Zach's back and squeezing him. When the former angel relented, meaning to break the kiss, Crowley followed him. Sucking on Zach's tongue, dancing his own tongue over the roof of Zach's mouth, Crowley managed to pull a frustrated groan from the human.

All at once, the collar of the spell tightened around his throat and Crowley choked. He stepped back reflexively, hands clawing ineffectually at his throat. Zach took a deep breath, trying to steady his breathing and calm his pounding heart. Watching Crowley struggle, Zachariah smooth a hand over the front of his shirt. When he was collected, Zach waved a hand and the pressure around Crowley's throat eased.

"What was that for?" Crowley tried to yell, his voice hoarse.

"Because I wanted to," Zach replied, shrugging diffidently. "And that's all that you need to know. I control your life, demon, so make sure you please me."

"I can think of several things I can do that would please me," Crowley muttered, making a show of adjusting his suit. He wiped his mouth then licked the taste of the former angel off his fingers, staring into Zach's narrowed eyes.

"You disgust me, Crowley. Unfortunately, I need you because I have no actual power of my own," Zach commented. He dragged his foot through the burned components of the spell he'd cast, obliterating all the evidence of it. "But now it's time for my revenge. I want you to take us to Bobby Singer's house. While I deal with the Winchesters, I want you to keep the angels distracted. I don't want Gabriel or Castiel swooping in at the last minute to save their precious hunters."

"Do I have a choice?" Crowley asked rhetorically. He rubbed a hand over his throat then stepped towards Zach. Grabbing the human's wrist before he could move away, Crowley moved them to the fence outside Bobby's house. "You don't have to worry. I've cloaked us from their awareness. They won't see us coming."

"Excellent," Zach said, rubbing his hands together to ease some of the excitement. "Keep doing this well and I may not have to keep you bound for eternity. Remember, I don't want any prayers from Dean or Sam to get to their angels. Keep them busy."

"You wish, my command," Crowley replied sardonically, slanting an annoyed look at the former angel. He shook his head as he followed the human up the driveway, wondering if there was any way he could get out of the spell and spend several years, preferably centuries, torturing the human. Perhaps he could work something out with Gabriel or Castiel. Surely they would appreciate his help in saving their hunters? After all, it would be an exquisite revenge against Zachariah if the angels helped him break the spell.


	11. Dusk

Unaware of the danger coming toward them on eager feet, the Winchesters, Bobby, Adam, and the angels were sitting down to eat dinner. The last rays of sunlight filled the kitchen, the rapidly approaching dusk causing Bobby to have turned the lights on.

"I still don't like having a demon trapped here," Adam said, eating his slice of pizza slowly. He looked around the table, noting that the others seemed just as uneasy as he did. "I know the devil's trap is keeping her in one place but what if she finds a way around it?"

"That's why we aren't going to keep her here long," Sam replied when no one else spoke. "Meg is inventive and I wouldn't put it past her to find a way out."

"If she's so dangerous, why are we using her?" Adam persisted. "Why don't you just kill her or exorcise her?"

"Adam, we've been over this," Dean said around his mouthful of pizza. "We've worked with her before and she won't betray us until she's sure her life is safe."

Adam shook his head and fell silent, still worrying. Now that he was back and had experience with the guy who created demons, he wanted nothing more than to get rid of all demons. Gabriel and Dean bantered back and forth to the accompaniment of Sam rolling his eyes at them. Castiel's light chuckle surprised Adam; the angel almost never laughed.

Once he was finished, Adam started to feel a little claustrophobic. The hunters and the angels had years of being together behind them and almost spoke another language. Adam listened for as long as he could before getting up and heading up the stairs to the spare bedroom he'd taken.

As he hit the halfway point on the stairs, Adam heard a muffled sound and paused. It sounded like the front door had opened. He leaned over the banister, staring into the entryway. A tall man stood there with graying hair and brown eyes. Adam's eyes widened as he saw the gun held tightly in one hand.

"What are you doing here?" Adam said before thinking. He mentally smacked himself as the guy's head whipped up to look at him, the gun following. Adam tried to dodge as the gun moved but the guy was too quick. He squeezed off a shot and Adam felt fire searing across his upper arm. Falling back onto the steps, Adam managed to yell a warning to the others in the kitchen.

"That won't help,boy," the guy said, his voice full of menace. "I'm going to get my revenge and you aren't going to stop me." The guy stalked through the house, dismissing Adam from his mind. Zach had decided that he could always come back to kill the boy if he needed to.

"Adam?" Sam's voice called from the kitchen. Zach heard the footsteps coming closer and grinned ferally. He wouldn't mind killing Sam first. This was the boy who'd broken the final seal and then denied his fate by jumping in the cage with Lucifer.

"Sam run!" Adam screamed, his hand plastered to his upper arm. Blood leaked through his fingers, dripping onto the wooden stairs in an irregular pattern. He pulled himself up the stairs, his feet catching on the treads. The only thought on Adam's mind right now, since he'd warned his brothers, was to get to a safe place and try to stop the bleeding.

"Adam?" Sam said again, worry coating his voice. He didn't hear Zachariah moving toward him and his first sight of the former angel had Sam freezing for an important second. The former angel smiled nastily and leveled the gun at Sam. The gun barked and Sam tried to get out of the way, a searing pain in his leg telling him that he hadn't gotten away without injury.

Running back into the kitchen, Sam saw that Crowley had Gabriel and Cas cornered near the fridge. The angels looked as if they were in immense pain, Cas leaning into Gabriel with both of their faces drawn into grimaces. Crowley was chanting something, his warm voice sounding evil with the syllables. The demon had his other hand raised towards the back door, Dean hanging against it about 2 inches off the ground.

"Dean!" Sam yelled, his brother first on his mind. He was fairly sure that Gabriel could eventually free himself and Cas but Dean was only human. Sam moved towards Crowley, hoping to disrupt him enough that he would free either Dean or the angels. Ignoring the approaching footsteps behind him, Sam crashed into Crowley and they tumbled to the ground.

Dean dropped the two inches, his knees bending slightly to take his weight. He threw a glance at Cas, reassuring himself that the angel was all right before turning to Sam and Crowley. He had just taken a step forward when another shot rang out, slamming into the wood next to his head.

"That's far enough, Dean," Zach said smugly, keeping the gun aimed at the hunter. Now that he was here, he didn't want to just end it. He wanted some time to enjoy the moment. Muttering several syllables in Enochian, Zach stretched out a hand towards Gabriel and Cas. Snapping, he grinned as chains appeared around the angels. Gabriel struggled against them, raw fury on his face.

"I'll get to you two in a minute," Zach snarled. "You disgust me! Mating with these mud monkeys?"

"Brother, you don't know them," Cas said softly, his cerulean eyes boring into Zach's pleadingly. "Humans are so much greater than they appear. They truly are some of our Father's greatest creations."

"Be silent," Zach snapped, snapping again. More chains wrapped around Cas's head, holding his mouth closed. While Zach had been talking, Crowley flipped Sam over on his back and held him down to make sure the younger Winchester was going nowhere. The demon couldn't help shooting a smirk at Gabriel, crushing Sam just hard enough for his breath to come in short, panting gasps.

"Now that we're all here," Zach continued, pulling up a chair from the table and sitting down. "We're going to have a nice conversation."

"We have nothing to say to you, you smug dick," Dean said, his face twisted in rage. "We spared you, on Cas's request. And this is how you repay us?"

"Spared me? You think forcing me to live as a human is sparing me?" Zach laughed, a short, sharp bark. "You know nothing, mud monkey. I would rather be dead than live as one of you."

"That can be arranged," Bobby drawled from behind Zach. He was holding a shotgun, the muzzle aimed directly at Zach's head. "Now, let the angels go."

"I don't think so," Zach replied, barely turning to look at Bobby. "Crowley?"

Crowley turned a little bit to look at Bobby and the hunter swore that a look of regret flashed across the demon's face. Crowley raised a hand and Bobby was knocked sideways into the doorframe and held there. Dean growled deep in his throat at the sight.

"All right, so you have us all trapped," Sam coughed, pushing ineffectually at the weight of the demon on top of him. "What are you going to do now?"

"Now? I think I might have Crowley torture you and your brother to death while your angels watch," Zach snarled. "And then I'm going to take my former brothers to a safe place and torture them."

"You know I'll break out of this spell eventually," Gabriel said softly, his voice devoid of all emotion. "And sooner rather than later. You really want to hurt Sam or Dean before I get loose?"

Zachariah slanted a look at Gabriel, full of bitterness and hate. The archangel swayed back at the force of the former angel's hatred. It was unusual to see that much emotion in an angel, even one who had become human. Zach's lips pulled back from his teeth, nothing near a smile.

"You assume I'm going to keep you alive that long," Zach replied silkily. "You are stronger than little Castiel over there. I'll deal with you first while he watches. It will be a suitable beginning to his punishment."

Cas's eyes filled with tears, the chains tightening around his form. He stopped looking at Zach and turned his eyes to Dean. If any of them were going to die, he wanted Dean to be the last thing he saw. Though, he never stopped trying to find some chink, some hole, in the spell wrapped around him.

"Because of you, I lost my standing among the Host," Zach said conversationally, turning his attention back to Dean. "Because of you and your angel, I lost my grace and my wings. So I'm going to take something important from you before I kill you."

While Zach was talking, Crowley was whispering intently to Sam. The younger Winchester was watching the demon with widened eyes, wondering if he could trust what he was hearing. If he could indeed break the spell Crowley was telling him about, then maybe they would all get out of this.

"Fine. How do I break this spell?" Sam whispered, looking around furtively. Crowley grinned in relief and took a deep breath.

"You need to shed some blood, Winchester," Crowley murmured back. "And there's a long spell you have to say. Don't get a syllable wrong because if you do, you'll explode."

Sam gulped and nodded, listening intently as Crowley told him the spell. He repeated it several times in his mind to make sure that he had it correctly. He wondered briefly how he'd draw blood before Crowley grinned wider and scraped his nails across the hunter's neck. Sam gasped but then muttered the spell, making sure it was loud enough for Crowley to hear. A glow grew at the demon's throat, brightening as Sam worked through the spell.

With a loud crack, the collar around Crowley's throat shattered. The timing was perfect, coming at the end of Zach's tirade. The demon stretched and released Bobby, the elder hunter sliding down to the ground. He stood and turned to Zachariah, a feral grin on his face.

"Well, Zachariah, isn't this interesting," Crowley drawled, his voice light with humor. Crowley snapped and the chains around the angels shattered. Zach stood there, his mouth dropping open in shock.

"This can't be possible," Zach sputtered. "That spell shouldn't have broken."

"King of Hell, darling," Crowley replied, sauntering over to Zach and taking the gun. "Means I know quite a few things about quite a few more things. Especially about spells. You know that spell was actually one Lucifer developed?"

"What about our contract?" Zach persisted, stepping back from the demon. "You're still bound by that."

"That I am," Crowley admitted, dropping the gun on the counter next to Gabriel. "And I've helped you with your revenge. All the players are here. Do your worst."

"I don't think so," Gabriel said, stepping forward. His eyes blazed gold, anger writ across his face. "I'm still the Trickster, Zach, and you have been a very naughty boy. Time for your just desserts."


	12. Thrilling

Dean helped Sam to his feet before moving to Castiel's side. He wrapped an arm around the angel, hugging him close and pressing a kiss to his forehead. This time, death had almost claimed them all, skeletal fingers running down his spine. Dean shivered and turned to Gabriel.

"What are you going to do to him?" Dean asked curiously. Sam limped up next to Gabriel but made no move to touch the furious archangel. With the power crackling around him, Sam was likely to get shocked. Though the thought of the power that Gabriel could wield was oddly thrilling to the younger Winchester. Smelling the blood from Sam's wound, Gabriel turned and pressed a hand to Sam's thigh. The wound closed as if it had never been and Sam gave Gabriel a grateful smile.

"Since he was coming after all of us, why don't we all decide?" Gabriel replied, his head tilted to the side as he studied Zachariah. As he spoke, Gabriel wove the same chains that had held him and Castiel around Zach, making sure the former angel could go nowhere.

"Before we get to that, where's Adam?" Sam said worriedly. The last he'd heard from their brother, Adam had yelled for him to run. And Sam was sure he'd heard a gunshot before that.

"I'll go check upstairs," Bobby said, sending one last glare at Zach before shouldering his gun and walking away. The group in the kitchen waited while Bobby's footsteps sounded through the house.

Adam had finally made it to his room, little drops of blood on the smooth wooden floors evidence of his passage. He hoped that Sam had enough warning to deal with the man he now recognized as Zachariah. Groaning softly, Adam pulled his shirt off and inspected the wound in his upper arm. It was still bleeding freely, red flowing down his arm unhindered by the fabric.

He could feel a hard lump inside the wound and knew that the bullet was still in there. Somehow, Adam was going to have to dig it out. Steeling himself, Adam started to reach into the wound when a knock came at his door. Jumping, Adam turned to the door, suspicion crossing his face.

"Boy, it's Bobby," Bobby said through the door causing Adam to heave a sigh of relief. He walked over to the door and opened it, nodding to the elder hunter.

"Zachariah shot me," Adam said, gesturing to the still-bleeding wound. "The bullet's inside and needs to come out. Is everyone else ok?"

"For now," Bobby said darkly. He shrugged at Adam's questioning look and put the shotgun down on the bed. He grabbed Adam's T-shirt and wrapped it deftly around the younger boy's arm. It didn't really matter what happened to it now since it was already ruined with blood.

"So what's going on?" Adam asked once the wound was wrapped securely. "Is Zachariah still here?"

"He is and so is the demon Crowley," Bobby told him. Adam's mouth dropped open in surprise and no little fear but he nodded. Bobby gave him a tight smile and picked up the shotgun again. He didn't want to be unarmed anywhere near Crowley, though he got a strange sense that the demon wouldn't actually hurt him. And what was with that look he'd flashed him....

"Another demon? What, do the Winchesters like to collect them or something?" Adam asked sarcastically, trying to hide the fear. Another one of those evil creatures was the last thing he wanted to see.

"Not... exactly," Bobby replied, struggling to hold in the laughter. "Sometimes, Crowley helps because our interests align for the moment. But you can't trust the bastard; he'll screw you over in a heartbeat. But we should head downstairs. Gabriel or Cas can heal you."

Adam followed without another word, hoping that Bobby and his brothers knew what they were doing. Though, from what he'd seen before, they really didn't. They just seemed to react to each crisis as it came. It was a strategy that seemed to work and yet didn't all at the same time. At least, it looked that way from the little Adam had been able to glean from Michael while serving as the archangel's vessel.

When he and Bobby made it back to the kitchen, Cas motioned him over. With a gentle hand, Cas pressed on the wound and the bullet came out. With another light touch, the wound healed as if it had never been.

"Thanks," Adam murmured, smiling at the angel.

"You're very welcome," Cas said, a soft smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Adam turned to the display in the middle of the kitchen, identifying Crowley by the simple fact that he'd never seen the man before.

"So, Gabe, you were saying just desserts?" Sam prompted once Adam was healed. The archangel grinned, a savage pull of lips from teeth and Sam felt the thrill go through him again. He and Gabriel were definitely going to have to spend some time together after this was all over, he thought.

"Yes, I was," Gabriel drawled, every inch the fierce archangel of the Lord. "And it's going to be a rather painful lesson. What do you think we should do with him? Fire? Ants? Fire ants?"  
"Death would be too quick," Dean interjected. "You need to get more creative, man."

"If I may?" Crowley said, holding up one hand delicately. "I'm no longer needed here and I can sense you are holding something I want captive. How about I leave with Meg and let you decide Zachy's fate?"

"You can leave," Bobby growled. "But we have plans for Meg."

"Do you now, Singer?" Crowley purred, sidling up close to Bobby. "And what might those plans be?"

"None of your damned business, demon," Bobby spat, standing his ground. "So I suggest you leave before I pump you so full of rock salt you crap margaritas."

"Bossy, bossy," Crowley murmured, running a finger over Bobby's shoulder. "You're lucky I like you, Singer. Anyone else said that to me, I would have them tortured painfully." With a wink, Crowley disappeared. Everyone looked at Bobby, surprise and a touch of curiosity in their eyes.

"What?" the elder hunter said defensively. "Don't you idjits have a job to do?"

Gabriel couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him before turning to Cas and Dean. The angel walked over to his brother, staring at Zachariah with sadness and resolve. Dean followed, resting a hand on Cas's shoulder.

"Well, brother?" Gabriel asked. "You made the choice last time to spare him. Do you want the choice now to decide what happens to him?"

"No, I don't," Cas replied, shaking his head. "I showed mercy to him and let him go. Zachariah is no longer my brother nor do I care what happens to him."

"I vote we send him to TV land," Sam said suddenly. "Remember when Dean and I were there and we had to play our roles? Zach here hates humans so what would be worse than having to live among them, playing a role from TV shows and movies? Plus, he'd be safely contained there."

"Sasquatch, you're a genius," Gabriel crowed, his eyes gleaming gold. The archangel snapped before Zachariah could say a word, the former angel disappearing from the kitchen. "And the best part is, we can watch him any time."

"That sounds like fun," Sam said, pulling the archangel close to him. The power crackling through Gabriel made the hair on Sam's arms stand on end but he didn't let go. "You and I have plans."

"I like when you take control, kiddo," Gabriel purred before snapping them to a room in one of his many houses.


	13. Broken

Zachariah's eyes opened slowly, a bright light lancing into them. He groaned, wondering where the archangel could have snapped him to. Though he vaguely remembered Sam saying something about TV Land. What the hell?

"Morning, sleepyhead," a chipper voice said, a hand shaking his shoulder. "You have just enough time for breakfast."

"What?" Zach said, finally focussing on the room and the woman standing above him. The room was opulently decorated and the woman was beautiful, blond hair cascading to cover one blue eye.

"Breakfast," the woman repeated, placing a tray on Zach's lap. "You have a serious procedure today."

"Procedure?" Zach repeated, sitting up and glaring at the eggs and pancakes on his plate.

"You know, silly," the woman chided, crossing her legs as she sat down on the edge of the bed. "The heart transplant for little Sarah Mason. I know you're nervous, considering the last patient you lost, but you'll be fine."

"Oh, dear father in heaven," Zach groaned, recognizing the woman finally. Melissa had had a thing for medical dramas. "They put me in a TV show."

He ate the food woodenly, realizing that he was starving. He wasn't quite sure how long he'd been asleep but was fairly certain that whatever was ahead was not going to be pleasant. The woman rambled at him as he ate, Zach rolling his eyes at every third or fourth word. He'd only been here for about fifteen minutes and he was already bored out of his mind.

When he was done, he got out of bed, rudely dislodging the still rambling woman. He flashed into the hospital next with no knowledge of how he'd changed or gotten to the hospital. Zach washed his hands in the sink before him, preparing for the surgery the blond had spoken about. Walking into the surgical room, he sighed as he saw everyone staring expectantly at him. Sighing, Zach decided to just go with the whole thing. Surely it couldn't last too much longer?

He performed the surgery, fighting back the urge to just start ripping the organs out of the girl on the table. When he was done, he stepped back and the scene went black. Before he could make a sound, Zach found himself strapped into some sort of platform, his legs spread apart and a large arm with a ball on the end resting in front of him.

" _Welcome to Nut Cracker!_ " the host yelled in Japanese. " _Here we have our contestant, Zachariah. Can he take the prize money home or will he suffer the nutcracker? Let's find out!_ "

Zach studied the host, trying to understand what he was saying. Even after becoming human, he'd still known every language without a problem. Now, he couldn't understand a word but the device he was strapped into was worrying him.

" _Zachariah, answer this,_ " the gameshow host said, turning to Zach. " _True or false: if you had never encountered the Winchesters, you would still be in heaven right now. And... countdown._ "

A red timer started counting down from 20 and Zach boggled at it. He hadn't understood a word, but knew the premise of gameshows. He ran the syllables the host had said through his mind but could make no sense of them. With a rising panic, Zach watched the timer count down to zero.

" _Oh, loser!_ " the host shouted, his face twisted into a comical grimace. The fake crowd hissed and the arm lifted up and slammed into Zach's groin. The human folded over, a scream echoing from his mouth. He suffered for several seconds before blackness overwhelmed him again and he found himself on a beach watching several women in red bathing suits running slowly towards him. The pain in his groin was a phantom pain now, the damage all healed.

And so it went, on and on and on, torture for the former angel who hated humans. He lived out scenes from sci-fi shows, procedural cop shows, more game shows, soap operas, reality tv shows, and even commercials and movies. The whole time, anytime he was hurt, he was healed as soon as he was taken to the next show. The only thing that kept him going was the kernel of hate in his chest that was slowly turning into a burning volcano. That hate would get him out of here. If the Winchesters thought this would break him, that he would return a broken shadow of his former self, they had a revelation in their future.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

"So, Sammy," Gabriel said, throwing the hunter on the bed and pacing around it. "I notice you are getting rather turned on by something about me. Care to share what it is this time?"

Sam bounced a couple times before he stopped moving, his mouth dropping open at the sheer strength the archangel had displayed. Sometimes, it was easy to forget exactly what Gabriel was. Sam studied the pacing archangel, a smile wide across his face. Then, a thought about what Lucifer had said to him about power caused his face to close and his arms to cross over his chest.

"Never mind," Sam muttered, shaking his head. "Bad idea."

"Come on, kiddo, you can't just have all this lead up and have it go nowhere," Gabriel chided, stopping next to Sam and cupping the hunter's chin. He tilted Sam's face up to meet his eyes, by now knowing pretty much all of the Winchester's expressions. And this one was shame and worry. "Talk to me, Sam."

"It's nothing, Gabe, let it go," Sam muttered, his arms coming up to wrap around the archangel. Gabriel studied Sam, wondering if it would be too far to dip into the hunter's mind and find out what was going on. He was definitely getting some very aroused vibes from the hunter back in Bobby's house and he desperately wanted to know what could have changed that so quickly.

With a mental shrug, Gabriel held Sam's gaze and delved into his mind. A picture of Lucifer telling Sam they were the perfect match because Sam was attracted to power burned across his mind before Sam wrenched away.

"Stay out of my head, Gabe," Sam snapped before getting off the bed to move to the window. Gabriel was too startled to follow, still working through the implications of the memory he'd seen. Suddenly, Sam's reaction in Bobby's house made more sense: the hunter _was_ attracted to power but not how Lucifer had implied. And when that memory occurred to the hunter, he had shut down, trying to deny what Lucifer had said.

"It's all right, Sam," Gabriel said, walking over to Sam and wrapping his arms around the hunter. He allowed little tendrils of his grace to curl around Sam, charging the air around them. For a moment, Sam shivered and his head tilted back onto Gabriel's shoulder, his mouth open on a gasp. Then Sam straightened again, pushing the sense of ozone away from him.

"No, it's not. Really," Sam argued, staring out the window. He stood stiffly, not acknowledging the arms still wrapped around him. "You saw. You know how broken, how wrong, I am."

"Sam..." Gabriel started to say, trying to turn the hunter so he could see his face. But Sam interrupted him, still stubbornly standing staring out the window.

"No, Gabe, don't," Sam said, his voice a mix of resignation, anger, and weariness. "I came to terms with it a long time ago. I had to, to be able to beat Lucifer back. Ever since I started hunting again, I always chose the path of power. Trusting people I shouldn't have because of the power they had. I was the vessel for one of the most powerful beings in existence and it was something that was fated to be. Letting Lucifer out was just another step in a long line of mistakes. I'd like to think I've learned from that, learned from my time in the cage. So now, I try to push that part of myself away, keep it locked down so that I no longer make any of those mistakes."

Sam's voice trailed off, his body still as stiff and unyielding as a statue. He could sense the comfort and worry the archangel was exuding but didn't allow himself to melt into it. Sam couldn't afford it, not now. It was almost like his addiction to the demon blood, the power the archangel could release was exhilarating and Sam just wanted to bask in it. But, like the demon blood, it was something he had to avoid.

"Sam, you know he was just trying to get under your skin?" Gabriel asked softly, rubbing his hands down Sam's sides. "He may have picked out something about you but he went the wrong way with it."

"But it is true," Sam snapped, turning his head just enough to catch a glimpse of Gabriel. "It's a weakness I can't afford."

Gabriel laughed loudly at that, his entire body shaking with the force of it. He could feel Sam bristling, his shoulders going even stiffer and straighter. Gabriel looked up to see Sam turned almost completely towards him, one of his bitchfaces firmly in place.

"Sammy, you have no idea, do you?" Gabriel asked when he caught his breath. "It's not a weakness."

"No?" Sam challenged, stepping out of Gabriel arms and crossing his own over his chest. "Explain to me how it's not a weakness when every time I've given into it, all that's come was problems."

"You are attracted to power, Sam, and there's nothing wrong with that," Gabriel explained, making no move to touch Sam again yet. "A lot of people are. Just because you've made some bad choices about it in the past doesn't mean it's a bad thing."

Sam looked thoughtful at that point, his eyes turning away as he turned that over in his mind. Gabriel took the moment to step forward into Sam's space, though he still didn't touch. Gently, he threaded his grace around Sam again, this time so that the hunter barely felt it. Sam relaxed a bit more, his eyes dilating at the feeling of lightning pressing on his skin.

"You stood against Lucifer," Gabriel continued, his breath ghosting over Sam's skin. "When you could have easily surrendered to him and taken the power he offered, you stood against him. If you just craved power for power's sake, you never would have been so stubborn. You crave power, yes, but you must trust the person who has it before you accede to it."

Sam's thoughtful look turned incredulous, making Gabriel chuckle again. He closed the space between them and wrapped his arms around Sam again. He intensified the effects of his grace, grinning when Sam gasped and melted against him.

"You don't have to worry about being turned on by _my_ power, Sam," Gabriel whispered, his face entirely serious. He tilted his head up to press a kiss to Sam's lips, nipping sharply at the bottom one. Using his grace to hold Sam up, he stepped back and smirked. Slowly, slow enough that Sam could stop him if he wanted, Gabriel pushed Sam back against the wall with his grace, pulling the hunter's hands above his head.

"Trusting me will never be a mistake Sam," Gabriel said, his voice dark and warm. "Let me prove it to you."


	14. Fire Ball

“Do I want to know where they’re going?” Adam asked rhetorically, staring at the spot Sam and Gabriel had disappeared from. Cas was standing next to Dean, their fingers twined together as they spoke quietly.

“Probably not,” Bobby said gruffly, moving to wash his hands in the sink. Blood sluiced off his fingers and down the drain. He turned back to Adam, drying his hands on a towel. “You may want to go put another shirt on. The one I used as a bandage is a lost cause.”

Adam nodded, skirting the library where Meg was still captive and heading upstairs. He could see the demon watching him out of the corner of his eyes and he shivered. Meg had a small, knowing smirk on her face and Adam didn’t want to know what could have put it there. As she was almost out of sight, Adam started when Meg raised a hand and waved jauntily at him. Hurrying up the rest of the stairs, Adam did his best to put Meg out of his mind.

“Silly boy,” Meg muttered to herself. She looked towards the kitchen, making sure the other hunters and the angel were completely distracted before pulling a lighter out of her pocket. Saying a few words in a spiky, guttural language, Meg flicked the lighter and pulled the flame into the palm of her hand. With one more glance at the kitchen, she threw the fireball up at the devil’s trap above her head. It impacted on one of the outer lines, scuffing it a bit. She did it again and again, always whispering the words so that no one paid any attention to her. Finally, the devil’s trap broke.

Putting the lighter away, Meg considered painting the kitchen with the hunters’ blood but decided against it. The angel would smite her within a few seconds, cutting her enjoyment short. With a shrug, Meg disappeared from the library and headed to one of her safe houses. If she was going to knock Crowley off his throne, she needed time and resources.

While Meg was working on escaping, Dean and Castiel were speaking quietly in the middle of the kitchen. They’d formed their own little bubble and Bobby was obliged to move around them, not wanting to interrupt the momentary peace the two had.

“You ok?” Dean asked, wrapping his free hand around Cas’s waist and hugging him.

“Yes, Dean, I’m fine,” Cas replied, smiling softly up at the hunter. He let his wings brush against Dean’s back, knowing that the hunter probably wouldn’t feel them. He hadn’t yet. Though this time, something was different.

“What is that?” Dean asked, feeling something soft against the back of his neck. He craned his head, just catching a glimpse of something shadowy curving away from him. Looking back at Cas, he was surprised to see the angel’s eyes wide in shock.

“You felt that?” Cas asked quietly, bringing his wings in tighter around Dean. “You haven’t before.”

“Before?” Dean repeated, feeling something warm pressing insistently against his back. “What the hell, Cas? What is that?”

“My wings,” Cas replied, a reverent hush in his voice. “You’ve never felt them before. But I have them wrapped around you now.”

Dean froze at that, remembering the first time he’d seen Cas’s wings. Or at least the shadow of them. A sudden longing to see them came over him and Dean grinned at the angel. Cas tilted his head, wondering what exactly Dean was up to.

“How about we head upstairs away from Bobby?” Dean suggested, leaning down to press a kiss to Cas’s lips. The angel nodded and they walked through the library towards the stairs. The empty devil’s trap caught Dean’s eye and he felt a tremor of worry run through him.

“Bobby, did you set Meg free?” Dean called back into the kitchen.

“No, I didn’t. Why?” Bobby asked walking into the library. He glared at the empty space Meg had occupied, his eyes flicking up to the devil’s trap painted on the ceiling. He groaned as he saw the burned area, a ragged break in the otherwise smooth and complete lines. “That’s how she did it.”

Dean looked where Bobby was pointing and sighed. Meg was creative, he had to give her that. Next time, they’d search her. He looked around the room, knowing he wouldn’t sense anything if Meg was just hiding, before meeting Cas’s eyes.

“I don’t sense her anywhere,” Cas said, answering the unspoken question. “I believe Meg is gone. It’s dangerous for her here, with Crowley knowing where she is.”

Dean nodded and Bobby walked back into the kitchen, intent on fixing the devil’s trap. The hunter and angel continued up the stairs, trading kisses and light laughs as they went. Once in the room they shared, Dean pushed Cas down on the bed and rubbed his hands over Cas’s back. As the angel arched into his touch, Dean laughed and kissed the back of his neck.

“Can you show them to me?” Dean asked softly, his breath ghosting over Cas’s skin and raising goosebumps. Cas nodded thoughtfully, concentrating to bring his wings out into a reality Dean could see. From the weight on his back and the surprised gasp behind him, Cas could tell he’d been successful.

Dean sat back to study the angel’s wings, the feathers a deep ebony tipped in silver. As the feathers shifted with Cas’s breathing, iridescent greens and blues shined in the black, similar to the rainbow colors in an oil slick. Dean watched them for several seconds, noting a few bent and mussed feathers before bringing his hands up tentatively to touch.

When he brushed against the first feather, he froze as Cas let out a surprised huff of breath. He looked around Cas’s shoulder, wondering if he’d hurt the angel. But a surprised and slightly aroused look was the only thing on Cas’s face and Dean went back to the feathers. He carefully straightened the bent ones, smoothing them down next to the other feathers. When all of the larger feathers on the angel’s wings were straightened, Dean buried his fingers in the softer ones underneath. Cas almost keened at the feeling, his wings snapping out as he arched into Dean.

“Easy there, Cas,” Dean said, freeing one hand to wrap around Cas’s waist and splay over his stomach.

“My wings are sensitive, Dean,” Cas replied, his eyes opening to meet Dean’s eyes over his shoulder. “And I haven’t had them groomed in a very long time.”

Dean smirked again, letting the hand still buried in Cas’s feathers trail up and over the curve of his wing. Dean massaged at the muscle underneath, rubbing circles as he moved. Cas writhed against him, his fingers scrabbling at Dean’s legs.

“Please, Dean,” Cas begged breathlessly, turning his head to press a fevered kiss to Dean’s lips. Dean kissed back, his tongue licking over Cas’s lips before plunging inside. He squeezed at the top of Cas’s wing, drawing his hand back down over the muscle again. The hand splayed over Cas’s stomach slid down, dipping underneath the waistband of the angel’s jeans and teasing at the sensitive skin.

“What do you want, Cas?” Dean asked, dropping his head to the angel’s shoulder and mouthing at his neck.

“I want... you,” Cas replied, barely able to speak from the pressure on his wings. Dean chuckled and stood up, pulling Cas up with him. They undressed each other slowly, Dean trailing his fingers over Cas’s skin while Cas pressed kisses to Dean’s neck and shoulders. His wings were still out, curving over Cas’s back and wrapping around Dean. The feathers were soft against his skin.

Turning them, Cas pushed Dean down on the bed and straddled his hips. He leaned down and kissed Dean, slow and passionate. His wings curved back so the tips of his feathers brushed over Dean’s legs, moving up from his ankles to his thighs. Dean ran his hands up Cas’s back, wrapping around the base of his wings and squeezing gently. As Cas arched again, he leaned up and played with one nipple, lapping and nibbling until it hardened under his tongue. Dean kissed a trail across Cas’s chest to the other side, giving the other one the same treatment.

Impatient now, Cas let his wings trail over Dean’s erection, drawing a strangled groan from the hunter. He reached across the bed to the nightstand, pulling out the tube of lube they’d taken to keeping there. Pulling on Dean’s arm, Cas took Dean’s hand and covered his fingers with the slick lube.

Dean grinned, taking the hint and sliding his hand around to press at Cas’s entrance with one finger. He teased, circling the muscle and getting the skin slick and slippery before slowly sinking his finger in. Cas groaned and his wings fluttered, the feathers standing up along the top arch of his wing. Dean used his other hand to stroke individual feathers, causing Cas to tremble in his lap.

As Cas loosened for him, Dean slipped another finger inside and pumped slowly. He wanted to draw this out, go as slow as possible to drive both of them wordless with pleasure. Cas slumped against him, both hands gripping Dean’s shoulders to hold himself up as he rode Dean’s fingers. The hunter moved quicker, trailing kisses and nips along Cas’s jaw and throat.

“Dean, no more teasing,” Cas finally panted, turning lust-darkened eyes on Dean. He waited until Dean slipped his fingers out, spilling more lube on the hunter’s erection and stroking with his fingers. Then, Cas straightened and guided Dean’s erection to his entrance, slowly sliding down onto it.

“Cas, fuck,” Dean swore, his fingers tightening on Cas’s wing as the other hand gripped Cas’s hip to anchor him. Once Dean was completely inside Cas, they took a moment to just breathe, revelling in the presence of the other. After a soft kiss to the corners of Dean’s mouth, Cas started moving, slowly raising and lowering his hips.

Dean groaned, drawing Cas into another deep kiss as he carded his fingers through the angel’s feathers. They were sending little electrical shocks into his skin as Cas lost himself and Dean had to admit it felt interesting. He stroked faster as he pumped his hips to meet Cas’s thrusts, wordless cries leaving his throat.

As they moved faster, Cas pushed at Dean’s shoulders until the hunter was lying on his back. He leaned over enough to kiss him, pushing his wing insistently into Dean’s hand. The hunter let the angel lead, setting the pace they would be moving at. It was undeniably arousing when Cas used his strength and Dean enjoyed it immensely. Soon, Dean’s name was falling in breathless moans from Cas’s lips as he came closer and closer to the edge.

Wanting to wring the last little bit of pleasure out of his angel, Dean wrapped his fingers around Cas’s erection and stroked in time with the angel’s thrusts, his other hand gripping hard at the base of Cas’s wing. A few more thrusts and Cas stiffened, his wings whipping open wide as he orgasmed over Dean’s chest. His muscles squeezed at Dean’s erection as Cas fell limply over Dean’s chest and the hunter came with a few more short thrusts.

When they both caught their breath again, Cas slowly moved off of Dean’s lap and curled up on the bed with his wings draped over his back. Dean went to the bathroom to grab a towel and cleaned them both up carefully. When he was done, he wrapped his arms around Cas and pulled the angel to his chest.

“I like your wings,” he murmured, stroking gently over the feathers. “You should bring them out more often.”

“I think I can do that,” Cas replied sleepily, yawning. “Though right now, I’m too exhausted to do anything but sleep.”

“Then take a nap,” Dean suggested. “We don’t have anything to do until Meg shows her hand or Sammy and Gabriel come back. We can watch Zachariah suffering through TV land then.”

A soft snore met this and Dean smiled as he settled his head on the pillow next to Cas’s. Life was just about as close to perfect as it was ever going to get for a hunter and an angel.


	15. Magnificent

Sam struggled against the invisible bands holding his wrists automatically, his eyes never leaving Gabriel’s. He couldn’t move his hands at all and, despite his resolve not to, it was actually turning him on a lot. Sam had never allowed someone else to take control like this during sex, not even Ruby. He’d made sure he was always in charge, always the one calling the shots, and relaxing that iron control was freeing.

Ceasing to struggle, Sam thought over Gabriel’s words. He did trust the archangel implicitly, even after their shared history. It had taken Gabriel a long time to gain that trust, a lot of hunts to prove to Sam that he wasn’t there to hurt either him or Dean. But once Sam did trust, he trusted completely. Gabriel had made a place for himself in Sam’s heart and he knew that he could believe what the archangel told him.

Then Sam thought over all the times Lucifer had tried to tempt him to say yes. First he’d appeared as Jess, someone he’d loved and trusted. When that didn’t work, Lucifer had tried to appeal to his humanity, telling him that less people would die if he said yes sooner. But Sam had resisted even though he knew how powerful Lucifer was. Gabriel’s words started making more sense and Sam relaxed completely into the hold the archangel had on him.

“All right,” Sam said quietly, earning a quick smile from Gabriel. He smiled back warmly, desire obvious in his eyes. “Why don’t you show me?”

Gabriel’s grin turned dark, his eyes flashing white as a bit of the celestial being inside the vessel shone through. He stepped into Sam’s space again, kissing the hunter as he ran his hands down Sam’s arms. Sam moaned lightly, fighting Gabriel’s hold again to try to touch.

“Ah, ah, ah Sammy,” Gabriel told him, shaking a finger playfully in front of the hunter’s nose. “You put yourself in my power and I’m going to take full advantage of that.” With a simple gesture, Gabriel coiled his grace around Sam and picked the hunter up. He walked next to Sam as the hunter floated through the air to the bed. With a wicked grin, Gabriel let Sam drop as soon as he was over the bed. The hunter tumbled down, his limbs tangled together as he landed.

“Hey!” Sam exclaimed, shooting a glare at Gabriel. The archangel chuckled then snapped. His grace crackled around Sam again, pulling his arms up towards the head of the bed. Sam didn’t struggle this time, his face a study of desire and surprised rapture. Gabriel made a mental note that Sam liked being tied before lying down next to the hunter.

Sam turned his head to follow Gabriel, wondering what the archangel was going to do next. He got his answer when Gabriel slipped his hands underneath Sam’s shirt, scratching over Sam’s skin. Hissing, Sam arched into the touch craving more.

“Gabe, please,” Sam begged, half undone already from the simple force holding him down. He twisted the lower half of his body and wrapped his legs around Gabriel, desperate for some sort of closer contact. Gabriel chuckled and let his grace thread over Sam’s legs and gently but implacably push him flat onto the bed.

“I’m in charge, kiddo,” Gabriel chided Sam, skirting his fingers around Sam’s nipple. Sam groaned and tried to move again, though nothing happened. “Just let go Sam. You don’t have to be so tense.”

Deciding that there were too many layers between them, Gabriel snapped and Sam’s shirt disappeared. He went slower with his own, slowly sliding it up his chest and over his shoulders as Sam watched avidly. The archangel couldn’t help but add a few extraneous movements, letting his muscles bunch and relax as he tossed the shirt as he preened under Sam’s gaze. With one smooth movement, Gabriel straddled Sam’s thighs and leaned down to kiss him hard.

Sam opened to the kiss, letting Gabriel thrust his tongue inside his mouth. He kissed back, teasing touches against Gabriel’s tongue as the archangel plundered his mouth. Within seconds, Sam was moaning into the kiss, his hips making little movements against Gabriel’s grace as he tried to grind up into the archangel. Gabriel laughed into Sam’s mouth, his hands trailing down to Sam’s hips and squeezing.

“That’s it, Sammy,” Gabriel murmured, breaking their kiss. He stroked Sam’s hips through the fabric of his jeans, moving closer and closer to Sam’s groin. Finally, when Sam was writhing against his hold and wordless moans were tumbling from his mouth, Gabriel pressed his hand to Sam’s erection. Sam groaned and froze, his muscles locking up at the sheer pleasure spiking through him. Gabriel continued to stroke over Sam’s erection, alternating pressures to combine a touch of pain with pleasure.

Leaning down to nip at Sam’s lips, Gabriel didn’t bother to snap to disappear Sam’s jeans and boxers. At the feel of denim on his bare skin, Sam yelped and jerked hard against Gabriel’s weight. He hardened even further as Gabriel’s fingers wrapped around him and stroked up slowly from the base to the head. Sam felt a force slide underneath him and lift him a few inches off the bed as Gabriel leaned down to suck a bruise onto Sam’s neck.

“Have you ever thought about exactly what an angel’s grace can do?” Gabriel murmured against Sam’s skin. “Ever wondered what I can do to _you_ with it?” Sam shook his head wordlessly, eyes widening and darkening as he thought through the possibilities. The longer Gabriel was silent, the dirtier Sam’s thoughts grew until the archangel laughed and squeezed with his fingers.

“I never knew you were so creative, Sammy,” Gabriel purred. “We may have to try some of those later. But for now...” Gabriel slipped off Sam’s lap and used his grace to spread the hunter’s legs apart. Settling in between them, with a clear view of the entirety of Sam’s body, Gabriel extended small tendrils of his grace towards Sam. They wrapped around his legs and snaked upwards, goosebumps rising on Sam’s skin.

“What are you doing?” Sam asked curiously, gasping as what felt like lightning skittered over his skin. He gasped again when one tendril slipped between his cheeks and caressed his entrance. Other tendrils spread him apart, leaving him wide open for Gabriel’s eyes. Sam felt awkward and embarrassed until he caught the almost reverent expression on the archangel’s face.

“You look magnificent like this, Sam,” Gabriel said, one hand stretching out to wrap around Sam’s ankle. He stroked the skin, the tendril of grace stroking over Sam in the same motion. Sam flushed at the compliment then let out a sound between a scream and a moan when that tendril slipped inside him. Gabriel let up around his hips, letting Sam move against the grace that was slowly sliding deeper.

“Fuck, Gabe,” Sam gasped, his hips moving in a long sweep up and down. Gabriel continued to stroke Sam’s ankle, ignoring the throbbing in his own erection as he watched Sam ride his grace. He wormed the tendril deeper, brushing over a bundle of nerves deep inside Sam and causing the hunter to snap his hips forward and scream.

“You enjoy that, Sammy?” Gabriel teased, pulling the tendril almost all the way out then thrusting back in. He made sure to just touch the bundle of nerves, playing along it and driving Sam wild. “Think I can make you come just from my grace?”

“P... please, I want it,” Sam moaned, pumping his hips against the power Gabriel still had wrapped around him. His eyes were completely dilated now, hardly any of the hazel showing around the black. He met Gabriel’s eyes and pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, knowing that it drove the archangel crazy to see that. “C’mon, Gabe, make me come.”

Gabriel growled at that, his hand tightening on Sam’s ankle to the point of leaving bruises. He moved the tendril of grace deeper and harder inside Sam, making it wider to open the hunter up. At the same time, he made the ones wrapped around his legs and holding him open pulse at irregular intervals. As Sam arched up, Gabriel sent out another thread and wrapped it around Sam’s erection. Unable to move slowly and tease anymore, Gabriel stroked quickly up and down Sam’s shaft while another thread wrapped around the head and squeezed gently. Sam thrashed on the bed, struggling against the bonds that still held him down. Mouth open in wordless screams, Sam stiffened and orgasmed, the slick liquid splashing over his belly and thighs.

Gabriel slowed the pace then, pulling most of the threads of his grace back into himself. He left the tendril working Sam open in place, stroking gently and slowly in and out. Snapping, the rest of Gabriel’s clothes disappeared and he moved lay across Sam to kiss him lovingly. While his breath evened out, Sam just kissed back and pushed love and joy at Gabriel.

“That was amazing,” Sam told him when he finally had his breath back. “I think you need to do this to me more often.”

“You finally believe that being attracted to power isn’t all bad?” Gabriel asked wryly, moving his head to suck another bruise onto Sam’s neck. Sam stretched his head back, giving Gabriel more room as he sighed happily.

“Yes, Gabriel, with you I believe that,” Sam replied, laughing when the archangel rolled his eyes at the qualifier. “Now, I think you have a bit of a problem, huh?” He breathed deeper, the muscles of his stomach pressing up against the erection that rested against him. Sam couldn’t help but smile when Gabriel hissed at the touch.

“You have no idea what you do to me, kiddo,” Gabriel growled, leaning down to kiss Sam deeply again. He pulled Sam’s legs up slightly so that their height difference wasn’t as difficult to deal with then pulled the tendril of grace out of Sam. The hunter groaned at the loss but Gabriel didn’t give him long to miss it. With one smooth slide, he slipped inside Sam until he was completely buried inside.

Gabriel groaned as Sam clenched around him, the only way the hunter was able to actively touch Gabriel. He started slow, mimicking the movement of the tendril by pulling out almost completely then pushing back in. Leaning up, Gabriel looked down Sam’s body and watched as he slid in and out of the hunter.

“I’m not gonna break, Gabe,” Sam admonished the archangel, smiling fondly when their eyes met again. “Just fuck me.”

“Your wish, my command,” Gabriel told him whimsically, a grin pulling at his mouth. He pumped faster, short sharp thrusts that had Sam groaning and begging beneath him. Gabriel wrapped his arms around Sam’s waist and held tightly, his grace keeping the hunter from sliding up on the bed. As he continued to thrust deep inside Sam, Gabriel could feel a fire pooling in his stomach and his muscles tightened up. Sam recognized the signs of Gabriel’s impending orgasm and lifted his head enough to capture the archangel’s lips in a sloppy kiss that was all teeth and tongues. That sent Gabriel over the edge and he orgasmed, his body going stiff and his wings snapping out behind him.

Sam’s eyes widened as he saw the golden brown feathers, awe filling him. He’d seen Gabriel’s wings before but not like this. There were absolutely beautiful, trembling with desire and release. After riding his orgasm, Gabriel slipped out of Sam and pulled back the grace he still had pinning the hunter. As soon as he was free, Sam wrapped Gabriel in his arms and shifted them so they were lying on their sides with Gabriel’s back pressed to his chest.

“I love you,” Sam murmured, not at all surprised when Gabriel turned his head to stare at Sam in shock. It wasn’t something he said often.

“I love you too, Sammy,” Gabriel told him, the first time the words had passed his lips. They grinned at each other before sharing a gentle kiss. “And let me just say this, I am really glad you trust me.”

“Me too,” Sam replied decisively, tightening his arms around Gabriel. “And I definitely have some plans for that grace of yours.”

Chuckling, Gabriel nodded and settled down onto the pillows again. Without bothering to snap, since he was rather exhausted, a blanket wafted over the two of them and settled softly on them. A light snore told Gabriel that Sam had fallen asleep and he smiled. Teaching something new to Sam was always worth it. And when they woke up, they could amuse themselves by watching Zachariah suffer through TV land. Gabriel let himself fall asleep contemplating further tortures for his former brother.


	16. Malice

It took a day before everyone was gathered again in Bobby’s house. Adam had spent the time reading some of the books in english in the library. He was still technically dead in the world so there wasn’t really much else he could do. Slow footsteps caught his attention and Adam closed the book he was holding. Sam and Gabriel walked into the library, satisfied smiles on their faces.

“You look happy,” Adam observed wryly, nodding at his brother and the archangel. Sam’s smile grew wider and he threw a fond glance at Gabriel.

“Let’s just say I had a few things cleared up,” Sam replied vaguely, settling down onto the couch across from the desk. Gabriel perched on the arm, snapping to summon a massive lollipop. He licked at it idly while looking around the room. His eyes narrowed when he saw that they were short one demon.

“Where’s Meg?” Gabriel asked, raising an eyebrow at Adam.

“She broke the trap,” Bobby explained, walking into the library from the kitchen. He held a glass filled with scotch and sipped from it. “Looks like she used fire to scorch through one of the lines.”

“Good thing she hasn’t attacked yet,” Sam noted, looking around the room as if he expected her to show up and try to kill them all. Dean and Cas wandered in as Sam spoke, their hands tangled together. Sam thought over the last several times he’d seen them together and realized they were almost always in some sort of contact or another. He grinned at both of them, happy that Dean had finally found someone who made him happy. And that Cas had as well.

“Who hasn’t attacked yet?” Dean asked, settling down on the other end of the couch. He beckoned to Cas, who came over and sat on the arm leaning into Dean.

“Meg,” Sam replied, rolling his eyes at Dean. His brother just grinned and pointed at Gabriel, who had his arm draped over Sam’s shoulders. “Why didn’t she attack when she got out?”

“Probably because she had bigger things to worry about, boy,” Bobby said gruffly, pulling a chair out of the kitchen and sitting down in it. There was silence for a few minutes as each considered Crowley and Meg. The feeling in the room dipped to worry and tension, everyone realizing that if Crowley wanted them dead, he could feasibly do it.

“Well, this is boring,” Gabriel announced suddenly, popping the lollipop out of his mouth. He snapped and a flatscreen TV appeared on the wall above Bobby’s little TV. The rest of the room changed as well, Gabriel ignoring Bobby’s annoyed huff. Three long couches took the place of the desk and tattered couch they had been sitting on while a popcorn machine worked in the corner. Gabriel got up and pulled Sam to one couch, settling down with his legs draped across the hunter’s lap.

Dean and Cas took another couch, wrapping their arms solidly around each other and cuddling. Adam and Bobby shrugged and took the last one, sitting at each end. Buckets of popcorn floated to each person, carried by Gabriel’s grace. He grinned before waving at the TV. Zachariah filled the screen, back in blue scrubs.

“Medical show,” Sam noted, laughing at the annoyed face of the former angel. His scrubs were spattered with blood and he was marching through one of the hospital’s hallways. “Uh oh,” Sam continued, seeing a brunette woman walking purposefully towards Zachariah.

“You coward,” the woman snapped, slapping Zachariah. Dean laughed hard, remembering this from when he and Sam had been stuck in TV Land themselves. Zachariah growled at the woman, face full of malice and hatred. She continued in the same vein before pulling Zach’s head down to hers and kissing him.

The screen went black and they could hear Zach cursing in the darkness. Dean continued to grin as the screen lightened to a crime scene. A man was lying facedown on wet grass, bullet holes riddling his back. Lights flashed from the police cars outside the barrier of yellow police tape. This time, Zach was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and black tie.

“What do we have?” Zach asked, voice weary and strained. He’d been through different versions of this scene several times and knew the fastest way to get through it was just to deal with it. He listened as the fake people went through several trite and unoriginal puns, rolling his eyes at every other word. The scene was familiar to Sam and Dean as well but something was different this time.

Zachariah walked away from the body without even looking at it, triumph and an overwhelming hatred on his face. He looked up, almost directly out of the screen and at the hunters and angels gathered in Bobby’s library. Words in what Cas and Gabriel recognized as Encohian flowed from his mouth, the soft chanting growing louder and louder. Gabriel sat bolt upright, panic looking strangely out of place on his face.

“I don’t think so,” Gabriel muttered, glaring at the TV and starting to chant Enochian of his own. The image fuzzed out for several minutes but the others could clearly see Zach struggling. One hand flew to his throat as if he were choking and his face turned purple. Finally, the former angel dropped to his knees, his other hand scrabbling at the ground. Gabriel continued to chant until Zachariah fell to the ground, both hands going slack.

“What did you do to him?” Adam asked quietly, voice sounding loud in the complete silence after Gabriel stopped chanting. The former angel didn’t move and they could all see that he wasn’t even breathing.

Gabriel sat back on the couch, crossing his arms in a defensive gesture over his chest. Cas sent him a sympathetic look, knowing exactly what Gabriel had chanted. It couldn’t have been easy for the archangel, always believed to be the most sensitive of the Host. Gabriel burrowed into Sam’s arms, hiding his face against the hunter’s broad chest and shaking.

“I killed him,” Gabriel’s voice came, muffled. “I couldn’t let him escape and, once he remembered that spell, there was no way I could hold him.”

Sam fold his arms around Gabriel and held him close while the archangel clutched at his shirt. He could feel how distressed Gabriel was, even after everything Zachariah had done. Carding a hand through Gabriel’s hair, Sam whispered reassurances and love into his archangel’s ears until he stopped shaking and lifted his head.

“You did the right thing, boy,” Bobby said, nodding at Gabriel. “If he had escaped, he would have stopped at nothing to kill all of us. I know it was hard, but it was still right.”

Gabriel nodded at Bobby, his hands still fisted in Sam’s shirt. Sam knew that Gabriel was not going to recover from this quickly; Zachariah had been a brother. Bobby got up and changed the channel on the TV, putting a mindless comedy on to distract everyone. Gabriel and Sam continued to whisper quietly as the others politely ignored them.

Finally, the tension eased and Gabriel was able to enjoy the comedy. A weight had lifted from all of them, without anyone realizing it had been there. Zachariah was no longer a danger to them and the hunters and angels felt like they had a few moments to breathe. There was an unspoken truth with Crowley so life was as normal as it was ever going to get. They could worry about everything else later on.


End file.
